TGIF and Follow Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

This week's question is: Do you have a favourite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep revisiting it.

This is a great question. Hopefully I'll learn about a new series or two! Obviously I have read Harry Potter again and again over the last 10 years. I always forget little bits of the story or discover something I missed before. They will never get old. 

While Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella isn't a series, it is a book that I have read too many times to count. I don't normally re read books. I don't have enough time to work backwards like that; not when there are so many new books to discover. But Can You Keep a Secret is one of my favourite books that I often pick up and open on any page when I am sick or stressed out. I guess you could call it my security book/blanket! It is hilariously funny with an incredibly sweet romance story. It's excellent!

TGIF is hosted by GReads and this weeks question is: Read Challenges: Did you sign up for any this year? How has your progression been?

I signed up for the Books to Movies Challenge hosted by Two Bibliomaniacs. I'm not gonna lie; I haven't been doing well! I have only reviewed one book and movie out of the eight I'm meant to complete! To be honest, I don't think I am suited to challenges. I hate feeling pressured into reading something in particular. But I still have time to redeem myself and start the challenge again, so fingers crossed I'll get my act together!

Last Chance to enter my Six Month Blogiversary GIVEAWAY. The winners get to pick a book from Book Depository. Click Here to Enter

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee

This weeks question is: In books like the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do wish would come out of the closet for real?

Well let me start by saying how much I love True Blood! I haven't read the books but the TV show is deadly.  Does anyone think the books are better? Should I start reading them?

I think I'd like to see wizards come out of the closet. Share a bit of Hogwarts with us muggles, please. Or I'd like to see wizards like Magnus Bane from Cassandra Clare's series. Love him!! 

I have a busy day today so I won't be able to visit as much blogs as usual but be sure to leave me a link if you stop by so I can check out your blog tonight! 

Fast Forward Monday and my unexplained absence!

Fast Forward Monday is hosted by Mysteriousrose over at Mysterious Books. This meme gives us a chance to discuss what we will be reading/doing during the week.


Well let me started by explaining my lack of reading and blogging last week. I have been travelling around various parts of Ireland all week with my friends. I took a break from everything that didn't involve eating and drinking. But I'm back to reality for a while. 


So this week I plan on

• FINALLY finishing The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. I have been carrying it around in my handbag all week but haven't read a word of it. 
• I will be going through all the emails I have received while I was away and will reply to my review requests.
• I will also be reading and reviewing a short story I received a couple of days ago.
• And this weekend I will be off again, camping on a beach with my friends! Lets pray it doesn't rain.

Blog Hop and Follow Friday

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 weeks question is:

“Let’s talk crazy book titles! Highlight one or two (or as many as you like!) titles in your personal collection that have the most interesting titles! If you can’t find any, feel free to find one on the internet!”

I recently read a book called Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas. I instantly loved this title and the book was pretty good too. You can read my review here.

I went a head and Googled 'crazy book titles' and found this gem! Haha :) Surely they could have said Cooking with Winnie the Pooh??

Follow Friday time :) Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee

These weeks question is: How have your reading habits changed since you were a teen? Or if you are still a teen, what new genres are you in love with currently?

Funnily enough I used to read crime and mystery when I was younger. I read every single Nancy Drew book available to me. I couldn't get enough of them. But now I never touch those kind of books. Although this is something I plan on changing very soon! When I was in secondary school (high school) I read any romance book that my mum deemed unsuitable for me ;)

My Book Boyfriend #8

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader which provides us an opportunity to swoon over the men in our books. This week I'm picking Daniel Bonner from The Endless Forest by Sara Donati.

Some Facts

• Daniel is the son of the glorious Nathaniel Bonner (Last weeks Book Boyfriend!)
• Raised by Indians and his English mother.
• At 19 he went off to fight a war and came home without the use of his left arm. 
• He is a backwoodsman, living in the strawberry fields on Hidden Wolf
• He is fiercely loyal to his family and very protective over those he loves (Martha, lucky girl!)
• He is tall, lean, has black hair and stunning green eyes
• He has a cheeky smile and he loves to tease. 
• But he is also incredibly sensitive when he has to be

Martha started to roll away from him, but Daniel pinned her down. "Are we done talking?" "Not yet," she said, and he kissed her through a broad grin. "I think I know what the problem is," Daniel said. "It's impossible to think clearly wearing clothes. Let's take care of that first."

He pulled her closer and kissed her, a sweet kiss that lingered no longer than a heartbeat. Then he pressed his mouth to her temple and he took a deep breath. He said, "Martha Bonner, I swear to you, I'll do everything in my power to protect you. Because I love you, and your happiness is the most important thing in the world to me."

Then he was back, two fingers thick with butter. "What - " she said, but he had already smeared it over her bottom lip and down her neck to the base of her throat. When he kissed her this time his tongue touched hers and the bright taste of new butter blossomed between them.

Phew, I am seriously in love with all the Bonner men. I finished The Endless Forest last night and will be posting up my review later today! 

Follow Friday and Blog 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 weeks question is: “What is the one ARC you would love to get your hands on right now?”

Well technically this book has just been published but I dreamt about getting an ARC copy of it. The book I'm referring to is The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. I was so excited about its release and rushed out to the book shop to buy it the other day, only to be told it has only been published in America?? WTF? It was like a slap in the face. I have been waiting for this book for 5 YEARS! Why is it not published in Ireland?! *sigh* Anyway, I've ordered it off Amazon but I'm feeling pretty bitter over here. Cannot wait to read it! 

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee

This weeks question is: Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from an average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?)

Wow this is a tough question! The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom definitely made me look at the relationships and things I do in my life. It is a beautiful story about an 83 year old man and his last day on earth.  With out getting too much into it, it is essentially a story with the message that everything happens for a reason. Even the most trivial occurrence, the most fleeting relationships can effect our lives in a major way, without us  knowing it.  It is such a moving and inspirational read and a book that you would want to read again and again. 

Theme Thursday

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 LOCATION

I'm currently reading The Endless Forest by Sara Donati and location is actually quite a significant theme in this book. The author is constantly referring to Paradise and the wilderness surrounding the town. I could easily have picked a paragraph describing Paradise but I though I'd go from something a little different. This extract is about Elizabeth seeking her son Daniel.

Elizabeth stood in the soft spring sunlight and considered. Daniel might be helping Callie or working with Ethan; he might have gone to call on one of his student's families, or he could have gone home to the small house he had built for himself in the strawberry fields, an hour's walk up Hidden Wolf. A walk she would not have hesitated to undertake even a few years ago. A walk she would have enjoyed, because it was her favourite time of year in the endless forests, when small things woke up and reached out.

Page 168.

My Book Boyfriend #7

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader in which we swoon over men in books! This week I'm picking Nathaniel Bonner from Sara Donati's Into the Wilderness series.


Some facts:

• He is half Scotish and half Mowhawk. 
• He is the son of Hawkeye and he lives in the endless forests of Paradise, NY
• His wife Sarah died in childbirth several years earlier and now he raises their daughter alone.
• He is smart, confident, sensitive to other people's feelings and has a strong but gentle sense of humour. 
• People in the town are intimidated by him. 
• His chest is covered with Mowhawk tattoos

"I wake up wanting you and I go to sleep wanting you," Nathaniel murmured, pulling her shoulders up to meet him so that her head fell back and the arch of her neck rose to meet him. "Elizabeth. I want you as much as I want to breathe..."

'His hands were on her back, moving in circles. He kissed the corner of her mouth, took her lower lip between his teeth and worried it gently. Touched her upper lip with his tongue and then claimed her, his arms surrounding her, one hand cradling her head.'

"When I'm dying," he said. "When I close my eyes at the last, it'll be your face I see, right at this moment."

It was just impossible to find a picture that looks like my vision of Nathaniel. This is the best I can find. To me Nathaniel's hair is a bit longer and his facial features more angular. This picture is also missing his tattoos.

Phew,Thank God Its Friday!

Boy am I happy it's Friday! I have had a crazy week in work. I've had no time for blog posts, let alone any reading :( This makes me sad. BUT today is my last day in work and then I have a whole beautiful month to catch up on everything before I go back to University. Sweet! So, lets move on to Follow Friday. 

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee 

This Weeks question is: Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-shirt slogan best describes you?

Well ,considering the month I have had in work I think this one suits me the best. I do love my sleep! 

Don't forget to leave a link to your page, I'd love to see your slogan! Happy Friday.

Follow Friday and Blog Hop!

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee 

This Weeks question is: Name 3 authors that you would like to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

1. J. K. Rowling for obvious reasons. I grew up with Harry Potter and was recently blown away by the final movie. I watched Rowling's speech at the London movie premier and I have to admit I got more than a little misty eyed! I'd love to ask her questions about the series and thanks her for bringing us Harry Potter. She is is great role model for so many people.

2. Paige Toon. I have recently finished Chasing Daisy by this spectacular author. Her characters are real people with flaws like everyone else. It makes them so easy to relate to. If they cry, I cry. Her books are easy to read and gripping throughout.

3. Diana Gabaldon. I just want to meet the genius who created Jamie and Claire Fraser. My favourite fictional couple! 

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 weeks question is: What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?

Well I'd love to start reading Crime Fiction. My mom reads 2 or 3 books from this genre each week. She very rarely dips into another genre. To be honest I've never actually tried to read one! I just love my romance so much, I find it hard to break away from. Does anyone love to read crime? I'd love to finally give it ago if you have any good recommendations! 

Happy Hopping!

Tuesday Teaser

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 comes from Called Home: Two Hearts Answer by Gloria Schumann

A loud banging on the back door cut through the relative quiet. Both women jumped as the clung to one another, trying to wish the knocking away. Instead of vanishing, the knocking became more insistent. "I know there's someone in there," a deep voice boomed.

It's Friday!! (In case you didn't know)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee !

This weeks awesome question is: Let's step away from besties...What is the worst book that you've ever read and actually finished?

The worst book I read was Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. I had to force myself to finish it. It took me two weeks to read it, which is very long for me considering I had a lot of free time back then.

The characters were bland, the author frequently abandoned conversations halfway through and major events were badly described so i found myself rereading pages to try and figure out what was going on or what character was speaking.

What about you?

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: Not actually a question! This week we all get a chance to promote a giveaway or two from the blogoshpere!

So I have picked Nic's giveaway over at Irresistible Reads. I chose it because I'm a follower of her blog and her giveaway is also open to internationals which is great cos..you know...I'm international!

Happy Hopping!

My Book Boyfriend #6

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader in which we swoon over boys in books! I haven't been taking part for the last few weeks because I have been consumed by two young adult series and have already featured the guys from them as my Book Boyfriend. But today I'm back with a new boy in tow!


His Name and Address: Luis Castro from Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon. 
Profession: Formula one race car Driver
Appearance: Tall, dark and handsome - Olive skin, black hair, dark-brown eyes - What's not to like?

Luis has a reputation of being a party animal and womanizer but as the story progresses we see that while he is hilarious, he is also trustworthy and dare I say it...a bit vulnerable!


As far as quotes go, it is hard to share any with you guys without using Spoilers because this is a story of secrets and twists! I'm not going to write an spoilers though so here is a quote that really moved me at the time.


"You still haven't told me why you're here?" I prompt.
He looks uncomfortable. "Spur of the moment. I didn't want you to leave again."
"I was only taking a break for a few days."
"I couldn't be sure of that. I couldn't take the risk."
"I'm suprised you'd care that much."
He looks up suddenly and stares straight into my eyes. "I need you more than you think."
My heart does something funny and it dawns on me at that moment that maybe I need him too.

Follow Friday and Blogger Hop!

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee 

This weeks question: Q. ACK! Your Favourite book/movie character (example Hermione Granger played by the Emma Chick) just walked into the room! Who is it and what would be your first reaction? 


Ah! This is a tough question...There are so many. I think I'm going to go with Jace Wayland from City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. (a slightly older version of him would be nice) He is funny and sarcastic and has this 'I don't give a crap' attitude that I love. But at the same time he is so vulnerable and hell bent on protecting those he loves. And he is YUMMY! Covered in scars and tattoos that all Shadowhunters have. If he walked into the room I'd go completely fangirl on him. I'd jump into his arms screaming.
Once I thought I saw Robert Pattinson in town and I actually nearly threw up. I didn't...and it wasn't him! 

Jamie Campbell Bower will be playing the part of Jace in the City of Bones movie. Something to look forward too!

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 keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?"

I recently stopped reading a book after the 4th chapter (it is not something I do often or like to do) but I just found it so boring. It was all descriptive writing. The author described the surrounding forests and plant life for pages and then moved on to the mountains and the people's appearance. By the 4th chapter I still didn't know anything about the characters, or who was even the main one. There was very little dialogue or action. I like books that describe the setting but this was too much. 

What keeps me reading? I'm not too sure...I am a big fan of dialogue and relationships. If it started with a witty character I'd be quite intrigued. Or some mysterious/curious opening like 'I heard a noise outside my window'. I loved the opening line of The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

"In the middle of my marriage, when I was above all Hugh's wife and Dee's mother, one of those unambiguous women with no desire to disturb the universe, I fell in love with a Benedictine monk."

PSSST! Check out my Giveaway below! 

Tuesday Teaser

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 comes from The Wrong Path by Vivian Marie Aubin du Paris (Page 1).


A cold sweat broke out over her body as she heard a loud scraping noise reverberate its way into her room. It wasn‘t a familiar sound, but she recognized it immediately.
Someone was climbing up the tree outside.

Teaser Tuesday

 

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 a book I have literally just started 5 minutes ago.The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel.

"She lay perfectly still, eyes wide open, watching the darkness thicken and congeal around her. She was afraid to move, almost afraid to breathe."