Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Blog Awards!




Oh gosh, oh gee, oh jolly jee whizz. This is where things get awkward because thank you so much just doesn't feel like it's enough. It's such a gratifying, moving feeling to know that someone really does read your blog, enjoys it, and even remembers it enough to think of it - and you. So thank you so much, and happy holidays, and just thank you thank you thank you, to Kelly at Radiant Shadows

Part of receiving, and accepting these awards (put on the suit, the reindeer will know what to do) is having to post a few random facts about myself, so here goes: 

  • I have four cats, Oliver, Seth, Simon, and Ronald; they're all ginger. Ronald is Simon's son, I think his namesake is pretty obvious. Simon was named after a character in the British version of Death at a Funeral. 
  • I really love Doctor Who, it's quite possibly my favourite television show. My Alienware laptop, Optimus Who, is half named after the show.
  • The only show stopping Doctor Who being my absolute favourite is Friends. 
  • Of all the flavours, grape will always be my preference. 
  • When I can't decide what to read, sometimes I'll resort to picking a really cheesy thriller novel that I've already read a dozen times. Sixteen Candles (not based on the movie, of course) I'm looking at you. 
  • Speaking of, in a sense, I think I was meant to be a teenager in the 80s. The hair, the clothes, the movies, I love it all. 

My Nominees
Whose blogs are all lovely, and you should really check out if you haven't already.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday (6)

Each week the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten list based on a certain bookish topic. Other bloggers are able to join in and post their own top ten answers. Here are my answers to:


Top Ten Childhood Favourites: 

I grew up on a steady diet of Children's Classics, not because they were forced upon me, but because I always gravitated towards them in bookstores. Maybe it was the pretty, often colourful covers, or the intriguing blurbs on the back. Either way, I grew to love them, and they were as much a part of my childhood as horses, and Barbies, and the pack of little figurine dogs I had (have, actually, never could give them away - I blame Toy Story). I keep all my Classics grouped together - apart from my Penguin Clothbound Classics - on my Ikea Hemnes "bookcase", which is technically a linen cabinet, but shhh. Here's a picture of the top, and one of the first shelf where my childhood books are:



Onto the list! All links will take you to the exact copies I have.
  1. ANNE OF GREEN GABLESby L.M Montgomery
  2. LITTLE WOMENby Louisa May Alcott
  3. BLACK BEAUTYby Anna Sewell
  4. THE SECRET GARDENby Frances Hodgson Burnett
  5. A LITTLE PRINCESSby Frances Hodgson Burnett
  6. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIAby C.S Lewis
  7. ALICE IN WONDERLANDby Lewis Carroll
  8. THE CALL OF THE WILDby Jack London
  9. WHITE FANGby Jack London
  10. THE LITTLE WHITE HORSEby Elizabeth Goudge
Special Mentions: 
  1. PETER PAN, by J.M Barrie
  2. THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, by Kenneth Grahame
  3. THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK/ ANNE FRANK, THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, by Anne Frank (cover only, my copy is in English of course)
  4. AESOPS FABLES, by Aesop
  5. TALES OF THE GREEK HEROES, by Rodger Lancelyn Green, Alan Langford
  6. Every single book written by ROALD DAHL


Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday (7)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming books whose releases are being eagerly awaited. Bloggers are encouraged to join in and post about the book(s) they're looking forward to reading. Here is mine: 


Expected publication: May 8th 2012 by HarperCollins (US), August 1st 2012 by Simon & Schuster (Aust)

Synopsis: Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf. 

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control. 

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk. 

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

Why HEMLOCK? I have a penchant for werewolves. There, I said it. I'm pretty sure I prefer them to vampires - gasp, shock, horror (I'm sorry, Julian, my own dear vampire character). But besides that, HEMLOCK sounds utterly intriguing, and maybe even more importantly: different. Plus the author loves John Hughes movies, which gives her - and the book by extension - major bonus points. 

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Off the Shelf (6)


"Off the Shelf" is a post dedicated to sharing which books I have chosen to add to my To-Be-Read list that will hopefully be read and reviewed over the coming week. Occasionally I will also feature books that I won't be reviewing, but will be reading anyway. All summaries are from Goodreads.

For Review:

UNDER THE NEVER SKY, by Veronica Rossi 
Purchased | Borrowed | Received  
Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.  
As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.  
They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY  
The first book in a captivating trilogy, Veronica Rossi’s enthralling debut sweeps you into an unforgettable adventure


EVE, (Eve #1) by Anna Carey 
Purchased | Borrowed | Received   
The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.  
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Off the Shelf (5)

"Off the Shelf" is a post dedicated to sharing which books I have chosen to add to my To-Be-Read list that will hopefully be read and reviewed over the coming week. Occasionally I will also feature books that I won't be reviewing, but will be reading anyway. All summaries are from Goodreads.

For Review:


CITY OF BONES, (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare.
Purchased | Borrowed | Received   

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?  

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know.  

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Not For Review:



---
NOTE: I have so many reviews to catch up on it's not funny. 

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday (6)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming books whose releases are being eagerly awaited. Bloggers are encouraged to join in and post about the book(s) they're looking forward to reading. Here is mine: 



Expected publication: July 24th 2012, by HarperTeen.

Synopsis: There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia… 

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper— 

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia. 

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother. 

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday (5)

Each week the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten list based on a certain bookish topic. Other bloggers are able to join in and post their own top ten answers. Here are my answers to:

Top ten unread books that have been on my shelves the longest:

Pretty covers lure me, and intriguing blurbs hook me. I think I've lost track of how many books I've brought that are now gathering dust on my shelves, slowly turning yellow with age. I'm sure I'll get to them... Eventually. Warning: there are a lot of series on this list. What can I say, I like to buy the second - and often third book - just in case I really like the first and don't want to wait. Shame about the whole "haven't even read the first" part, though.

  1. CITY OF BONES, CITY OF ASHES, CITY OF GLASS, (The Mortal Instruments #1-3) by Cassandra Clare.
  2. MARKED, BETRAYED, CHOSEN, (House of Night Books #1-3) by P.C and Kristen Cast.
  3. WHILE I LIVE, INCURABLE, CIRCLE OF FLIGHT, (The Ellie Chronicles #1-3) by John Marsden. A sequel series to THE TOMORROW SERIES.
  4. TOUCHING DARKNESS, BLUE NOON, (Midnighters #2&3) by Scott Westerfeld
  5. TERRIER, BLOODHOUND(Beka Cooper #1&2) by Tamora Pierce. 
  6. VAMPIRE ACADEMY(Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead. 
  7. IRONSIDE, (The Modern Faerie Tales #3) by Holly Black. 
  8. EXTRAS, (Uglies #4) by Scott Westerfeld. 
  9. EVERNIGHT, (Evernight #1) by Claudia Gray.
  10. THE FINAL WARNING, (Maximum Ride #4) by James Patterson.