In My Mailbox September 2012

This month I bought a few books because I had to save my money to get some books for university.

Books I bought this month:

1. 52 Reasons to Hate my Father - Jessica Brody
2. Tempest - Julie Cross
3. The Other Queen - Philippa Gregory
4. The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
5. The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory
6. Secrets of the Tudor Court - Darcey Bonnette

Books I bought for kindle:

I bought a lot of books for the kindle but I am only going to list the series I got for it.

1. The Hunger Games series - Susan Collins
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series - Stieg Larsson
3. The Harry Potter Collection - J. K. Rowling
4. The Twilight Saga (including Bree Tanner) - Stephanie Meyer
5. Meredith Gentry series - Laurell K. Hammilton
6. Anita Blake series - Laurell K. Hammilton
7. Nikki Heat (first 2 in the series) - Richard Castle
8. What Katy Did - Susan Coolidge
9. The Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
10. The Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
11. A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket

A few not in series

1. 3 Jodi Picoult books
2. Some Jane Austen
3. Some Charlotte, Ann, Emily Bronte

Growing Up in Books

Again I saw this on my cousins blog and she got it from else where (link to where she got it from is in her post)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved to read and was more interested in books than my siblings. From a young age my cousin and I would read the same book at the same time just to see who could finish first I think Cazz beat me every time but it was fun trying to beat her. Like Cazz I was definitely one of those kids that hid under the covers so I could read after my bedtime. Most of my family are big readers especially my mum, cousin Cazz and Cazz’s mum so I was always encouraged to read.

I don’t remember every book I have ever read I probably don’t even remember half of the books I have read growing up but I do remember reading a lot of Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton.

I know for a fact that I haven’t read every book that the two authors have written but I have read quite a lot of them and if I had to choose between the two authors I would choose Roald Dahl I could read Matilda and The Witches over and over again. And at 24 I would be quite content sat reading any book that either of the two wrote.

While my cousin was reading The Babysitters Club and Nancy Drew I was reading anything I could get my hands on but one book that I remember reading over and over is My Naughty Little Sister it has to be the best book I have ever read (I am currently looking for the a new copy of the book as mine has gotten a bit ruined over the year so if anyone knows where I can get a copy of it please comment it has to be the one where there’s a story in it called My Naughty Little Sister and the Solid Silver Watch).

When I got to junior school (age 8) we read Charlotte’s Web in class and I loved it that much my parents got me the book. A year later I started reading The Sleepover Club series and these books helped me get through the tough time I was having at school, every time I opened a new book or turned the I was sucked further into the series and by the time I went to high school (age 11) I had read almost the whole series.

During high school I didn’t read as much as I used to because my friends would make fun. I know now that I should have just ignored them and read if I wanted to but after being bullied in junior school I didn’t want it to carry on in high school. I know that during the summer holidays in high school I used to spend them at my Nan’s and come home with a load of Children’s Classic Book’s (Heidi, The Railway Children, The Secret Garden etc) that I got from the market or for 99p from the book shop. Cazz also collected these books so we went back to reading the same books while I was at my Nan’s and like before she would always beat me and finish first.

In my last year of high school I started reading my mums Virginia Andrew’s books because I didn’t have anything of my own to read because I stopped reading I never bought any books so they were the only books in the house that I hadn’t read, I read the first book of the two series but didn’t want to read the rest. After high school Cazz lent me My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult and after reading that I started to read more often I borrowed a few Jodi Picoult books from her and my college tutor and then I decided that I wanted to read books by other authors and signed up to the library and borrowed books all the time.

In 2009 I caught the book buying bug from Cazz and spent practically all my money buying books from The Works or Asda.

In 2010 I got myself a copy of Alyson Noel’s Evermore it is the best Young Adult romance book I have ever read and I read all but the last book in the series and another series I have loved reading is Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw, Wintercraft is the first series I have actually finished and loved every minute of it and I am sad that it ended.

Now I am reading more and more books I find that every month my to read list gets bigger and bigger and I know I will never finish all the books I have bought because I admit it I am addicted to buying books.

Growing up with books was fantastic and I can’t imagine what my life would be like without books, I am glad that they have always been a part of my life each book has its own story to tell and its own hidden meaning that each reader interprets there own way.

Top 100 Books

I found this list on my cousins blog so I’d decided to post it and mark off ones I’ve read.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien

2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

So I have read 7/100 but I do have most of these books either on my kindle or on my bookshelf and there is quite a few I do want to read, so maybe I will get round to reading them.

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

5/5 Stars

Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.

Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteen birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

52 reasons is a light-hearted read with that fairytale ending that everyone loves. It has now become one of my favourite books of all time, because of all the trouble Lexi was put through. I got so into the book that I didn't want to put it down which is one of the best things about a book.

Lexington Larrabee is the most determined character I have seen in a while. When she wanted or decided to do something she gets it or does it. At the beginning Lexi's only goal is to turn 18 and get that all important check to her trust fund so she can party with her friends T and Jia, go on a cruise and leave her family behind. However after crashing her $500,000 custom made car into a convenience store the day after getting it Lexi's life changes for the worst.

Lexi's rich-girl persona is strong throughout the books and when she starts to delve into what happened the night her mother died she finds out something shocking and we start to see one of the reasons she acts like a spoilt brat.

We get glimpses of Lexi's job experiences and her status reports to Luke which are really fun to read, they show Lexi's attitude and her sarcastic wit and how Lexi starts to change and starts to make the most of her situation instead of complaining about them. While doing one of her jobs she becomes friends with another employee and he take's her to his home and  Lexi learns what being a family truly is and after a little pep talk from him Lexi starts to embrace it and starts to enjoy her 52 low wage jobs even though she is still wearing wigs to disguise who she really is. I was surprised at how different Lexi felt towards doing the jobs after her talk with Rolando at the end than she was at the beginning.

My favourite part of the book is when Lexi wants to go to Vegas for her 18th birthday party and after trying everything from using her private plane to trying to buy a plane ticket she is still not able to get there because her father had cancelled her cards and frozen her bank accounts, she calls one of her friends and tells them she can't go so her friend sends a car to pick her up. The next day Lexi arrives at her dads lawyers office for her first day of her first job really hungover and she ends up throwing up on the lawyer.

I absolutely loved 52 reasons because there is so much to the story than you think when you first start reading it. There's a spoilt teen, a workaholic father who is never around, an annoying publicist, a lawyer who Lexi thinks acts like her dad and a shocking family secret.

52 reasons is a hilarious, heartfelt and fun read that will make you laugh and possibly even cry. I highly recommend this book to anyone who truly appreciates a great book.

Kisses from Hell by Kristen Cast et el

Overall 3/5 Stars

Truly, Madly, Undeadly

This irresistible collection features stories of love amid vampires by five of today's hottest authors—Kristin Cast (Tempted), Richelle Mead(Vampire Academy), Alyson Noël (Evermore), Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning), and Francesca Lia Block (Pretty Dead).

From a fugitive vampire forced to trust a boy who might work for the group bent on destroying her to the legendary romance of two immortals whose love compels them to risk everything, this heart-pounding collection brings new meaning to the words "love you forever." Whether you're into romances that are dark and moody or light and fun, these stories will quench that insatiable thirst for enchanting tales of the beautiful undead.

I had heard of all but one of these authors before I read this book but until now I had only read Alyson Noel's stuff prior to this and in all honesty I can't see me reading anything of Kristen Cast's in the near future if these short stories are anything to go by. Out of the five stories my favourite was Alyson Noel's followed by Richelle Mead, I also liked Kelley Armstrong's story.

Sunshine by Richelle Mead 3/5 Stars

Sunshine was about how Lissa - from the Vampire Academy series - parent's met. It was also about a group of vampire teens that had control over their blood drinking. Eric's dad want's him to marry a nice girl who he is dating so that he can continue the family line now that he and his father are the only ones left. Rhea is engaged to a rich boy who only cares about himself, but when Rhea gets stalked by a feeder Eric helps her to escape and the two get close. it was an interesting read and I may have to give the series ago eventually.

Bring me to Life by Alyson Noel 3/5 Stars

Bring me to Life was the best story in the book and I don't know if I am just being bias because I love Alyson's books that I have read so far or because it was genuinely a good book. It was about a girl who is meant to bring someone special back to life. The main character gets accepted into a very exclusive art school which is in a very creepy old house but when she gets there it's not what it seems.

Above by Kristen Cast 0/5 stars

Above was the worst out of all the five stories. I have never given a story zero stars before no matter how bad I thought it was so it had to be bad. It didn't make any sense to me, it was like a very long and confusing poem and people who know me know I hate poetry. I couldn't decide what the characters were. Were they ant's, spiders, beetles or something else entirely? The only reason I read to the end is because I was expecting it to get better and to find out what they were but it didn't get better and I didn't manage to figure out what they were. Reading it was a waste of 15 minutes.

Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong 3/5 stars

Hunting Kat was another good read story there was plenty of action and a hint of romance. It was about a girl who is an experimental vampire and she was trying to get somewhere while running from the people who conducted the experiment but she ends up getting captured with two other people and after escaping from captivity she finds out that one of the guys is actually working for the people she is running from.

Lilith by Francesca Lia Block 2/5 stars

While Lilith wasn't a great read it was somewhat enjoyable. It was weird and short but it didn't have much of a suspense factor. It was about a succubus who changes a guys life and helps him to escape his sad world.

If I would have known how bad the book was before I borrowed it from the library, I wouldn't have bothered getting it out and if you read Kristen Cast's story you wouldn't be happy with it either. I am just glad that I didn't spend money on it.

Snow White and the Huntsman by Lily Blake

3/5 Stars

A breathtaking new vision of a legendary tale. Snow White is the only person in the land fairer than the Evil Queen who is out to destroy her. But in a twist to the fairytale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed becomes her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman who was dispatched to kill her.

Snow White and the Huntsman is one of a few books I have read before seeing the movie first but I did not really enjoy the book as much as I hoped I would. Snow White was my favourite fairytale as a kid so I assumed that I would love this book as well.

The book was a nice quick read and I am sure everyone knows how the fairytale goes, the only difference is in this fairytale Snow White is now a warrior. Unlike in the original story there is no romantic side to it no 'Snow White and the Prince instantly fell in love'.

I have to say that I wish there was more of a back story on why the King invaded the Evil Queen's village so we would be able to would be to understand why she wanted revenge on the King.

The imagery was great and I could picture the castle, the battles and the enchanted forest but the characters lacked the much needed emotions so I couldn't connect to their feelings.

If you love fairytale's and fairytale re-telling's like me then you might like this book and even though I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked I will still eventually watch the movie.

Whisper by Alyson Noel

5/5 Stars

Twelve-year-old Riley Bloom - ace Soul Catcher - faces her toughest challenge yet. She must travel to ancient Rome and convince dead gladiator Theocoles to accept his fate and move on. Then she meets the charming Messalina, who gives Riley a dramatic makeover, transforming her into a beautiful teenager. Finally Riley experiences her first kis... In a world this enchanting, will she ever want to leave?

The Riley Bloom series is one of my favourite series because its a fun, quick and fascinating read. Whisper is the fourth and final book in the series and although I am sad that it is finished I am happy with the ending we got.

In Whisper Riley is sent to Rome on an assignment to cross over the Soul of Theocoles a Roman warrior who is stuck in a time loop created by a spirit girl who doesn't want to let go.

Whisper deals with the notion of growing up and falling in love. Riley tries really hard to cross Theocoles over but she fail's each time because he is so stuck in his time and world, eventually Riley just like every other soul catcher sent to cross Theocoles over gets sucked into his world.

Riley is quick to befriend Messalina, Messalina is the only girl in the entire world and she decides to give Riley a makeover so that she can fit in with everyone else. Messalina convinces Riley to stay in this world if she wants any chance of crossing him over and this is where Riley gets her makeover. Messalina transforms Riley into someone she has always wanted to be a teenager and with this Riley manages to catch the eye of a boy. Riley must figure things out before she is stuck in Messalina's and Theocoles world for good just like the other soul catchers.

The story was great and so captivating and kept my attention throughout and finally getting to see Riley transform into a teenager was great. I am glad that Alyson didn't make Riley go from being 12 to being 15 I am glad she had Riley become 13.

I definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves Middle Grade books.

Darie Meets Ever by Alyson Noel

4/5 Stars

What happens when an immortal meets a soul seeker? Find out in this bonus scene as Ever Bloom and Daire Santos cross paths! From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Immortals, Alyson Noel, comes Fated—a breathtaking novel brimming with magic, mystery, and an intoxicating love story that will steal your heart away. Meet The Soul Seekers. Experience the enchantment of Fated and the new The Soul Seekers series with this special release.

This little bonus scene was a great introduction to Alyson's new series The Soul Seekers, you get to meet the main character of the series 'Daire Santos' and an old character 'Ever Bloom' from the Immortal Series.

You get a hint into the two girls but nothing about there 'secret lives' are given away. I am excited to read about Daire adventures and misadventures just as much as I was about reading all about Ever's.

Lust and Honor by Harriet Schultz

4/5 stars

What happens when the best man is handsome, wealthy and charming and is in love — or it is lust? — with the woman who is about to marry his best friend?

This is a prequel to the "Legacy of the Highlands" book.

I enjoyed this short prequel it made me want to read the suspense novel that it comes from.  I want to know what will happen next between Alex, Will and Diego after the wedding. I feel that it is going to be an interesting read.

Currently Reading: Everlasting - Alyson Noel
Read in 2012: 17/20

Waiting at Eros by Rosemary Laurey

2/5 stars

Would you keep a five-year-old appointment with an old lover? What if you weren't the only one?

This book was okay it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be and the characters are boring. Though it's only a short story, it should have had some sort of back story.  Meet a guy 5 years later on valentines day? He has 4 women meeting him their too, but he forgets about the date? It turns out that one of the women is his wife.

Currently Reading: Everlasting - Alyson Noel
Read in 2012: 16/20

Adam & Olivia: A Vampire Short by Martin Lastrapes

3/5 Stars

Olivia makes her living as a bartender at a bowling alley, but her dream is to one day write a vampire novel. Unbeknownst to her, Olivia is about to have an encounter with Adam, a bored and lonely vampire who loves to bowl. This vampire short is a chapter from Martin Lastrapes’ forthcoming novel.

Adam and Olivia is a cute short story about a vampire and a girl and about how they meet, you feel a connection with both characters from the beginning. There is a back story for the two and we are left with their first interaction with each other and then left hanging, wondering what will happen next.

It is a quick, joyride through the exciting world of vampires so many readers now love. There is no sparkling romantic vampires in this short story. It left me wanting more. Everything a vampire story should be.

Currently Reading: Everlasting - Alyson Noel
Read in 2012 15/20

Happy Blog Birthday

Today is the blogs 2nd Birthday

I can't believe I have managed to keep the blog going this long.

My Life Undecided Prequel - Jessica Brody

5/5 Stars

Brian's take on My Life Undecided was awesome. I loved it. The way Jessica explained Brian's pain and anguish at losing Brooklyn is exactly how I have been feeling about losing the guy I like.

It would be great if this prequel got made into a sequel of Brian's point of view after they got together or about Brooklyn after her and Brian got together.

You can download this prequel at one of the following
iTunes
Nook
Amazon