Happy 2 Year Blogoversary

Today is my blogoversary and a celebration of 2 years blogging about books. I've loved every minute of doing it and I still do. I've met some amazing friends and authors, read some pretty awesome books (often before they are released) and got to go to BEA last year which rocked my literary world. I want to say a huge thank you to my followers as without you, there would be no one to read and comment on my reviews. I know I've been slacking a bit lately (due to personal reasons) but I've read a ton of books and am ready to start writing the reviews so they are coming! To celebrate my blogoversary and as a thank you to my followers, I've got some fantastic books to give away. You can win:

UK Hardback of Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate (perfect for Valentine's Day)

UK paperback (SIGNED) of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

UK paperback boxset (SIGNED) of The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare including City of Fallen Angels

US paperback (SIGNED) of City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

US paperback (SIGNED) of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

UK paperback of Clockwork Prince (Collector's Edition) by Cassandra Clare

In case you're wondering, I met Cassandra Clare not that long ago and her books are AMAZING so I got lots of extra copies! All you have to do to enter, is click on the Rafflecopter link. Winners will be chosen at random using random.org. Good luck everyone and remember YOU HAVE TO BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER. This contest is for UK followers (due to cost reasons) but if you are from another country and are willing to pay for shipping, then feel free to enter :)

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Pandemonium by the very brilliant Lauren Oliver. Here's the synopsis:

"I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite."

I'm cheating a little here, not because the book is out as it isn't yet but because I've already read the ARC and OMG if you were a fan of Delirium, then YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK and that's all I can say on the matter other than look out for my review very soon! I'm not entirely sure about the cover design change as I'm not a big fan of doing this right in the middle of a series. I don't know when industry professionals are going to realise that this is never a good idea as then the books don't match and generally, there is outrage among the book blogging community. Anyway, what you see here is the UK cover and if you're interested, here is the US cover...
Again, the US cover is of a different design to Delirium but I have to say that I prefer the US covers in this instance. Pandemonium is published on 28th February, 2012 in the US and 1st March, 2012 in the UK.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Purity by Jackson Pearce. Here's the synopsis:

"Hours before her mother died, Shelby promised her three things-- to listen to her father, to live life without restraint, and to love whenever possible.

Those promises were easy to keep when she was younger, but things get tricky when she turns sixteen. Shelby's still-grieving father joins a committee at their church to host a Princess Ball-- a dance where young women pledge their purity (namely, their virginity) to their father's safekeeping until they marry.

But Shelby has a Life List-- things she wants to do, to live without restraint like she promised her mother-- and getting married young isn't on it. Waiting until she's thirty to have her first time isn't on it either. But how is she supposed to keep her promise to listen to her father if she refuses to pledge? By exploiting a loophole- by losing her virginity before the Ball.

She and her best friend Jonas make a list of potential partners, but somewhere in-between failed attempts at losing her virginity, trying to answer some lingering questions about God, and planning the Ball with her Dad, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her PURITY."

I really enjoyed Sisters Red which as it stands, is the only book I've read of Jackson's although I still have As you Wish and Sweetly to read. I do like the idea behind Purity and am looking forward to the exploration of it through Shelby's eyes. I think it will be both entertaining and thought provoking and did I mention how much I like the cover? Simple yet effective. Purity is published in the US on 24th April, 2012 with no word of a UK release at present. To find out more about Jackson and her books, click here to visit her website.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is a book I heard about from the lady herself, last year when she was in London and that book is Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Here's the synopsis:

"Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process".

I think this book sounds hilarious and a little bit superhero like but with...interesting consequences. One day you have power. The next day you don't. So what happens when you're forced to face down your enemies on a day you have no super powers whatsoever? I for one am dying to find out. I also need to mention that I LOVE the cover. I'm a huge fan of hourglasses, red is my favourite colour and obviously that it supposed to be blood so I'm guessing it fits with the story. I really hope Jennifer injects a dose of her humour into this story as only as she can and you know what? I've already got this one on pre order. Every Other day is published on 2nd February in the UK, 8th March in the US and for some strange reason it is already available on kindle but you'll pay a premium for it.

The Book of Blood and Shadow Blog Tour

I believe I am an unofficial stop for The Book of Blood and Shadow Blog Tour that has been happening lately and so without further ado, I'd like to welcome the author Robin Wasserman to the blog. Have you ever wondered what's involved in writing books? Or what an author's typical day looks like? Well, Robin is here to tell you all about hers...

ROBIN WASSERMAN – A Day in the Life

7:30 AM – Wake up. Check email. Notice the time and feel very proud of starting the day so early. Resolve to jump out of bed and be immediately productive.

7:35 AM – Back to sleep.

8:30 AM – Wake up again, begrudgingly. Skim the headlines, watch Daily Show and Colbert clips on gawker, whine on twitter, Google self, exhaust all potential procrastinatory activities and finally, get up.

9:25 AM – Crank up Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” dance, sing. NOW READY TO FACE THE DAY!

9:30-10:30 AM – Get waylaid on the path to productivity by clogged shower drain. Drano. Drano. Plunge. Plunge. Drano. Despair.

10:45 AM – Settle into coffee shop and either make small talk with fellow easily distracted writers or stare moodily into hot chocolate while mulling the chunk of story that lies ahead.

11 AM – Write.

11:10 AM – Check email. Check Gawker. Check twitter. Google self, again. Turn off internet as preventative/punitive measure.

11:30 AM – Write.

11:45 AM – Check email on phone.

12 PM – Cookie time!

12:10 PM - WRITE. No excuses this time. Internet off. Eyes forward. Type words and try to ignore how crappy they might be. Continue typing until the day’s word count is met.

3:30 PM – Triumph! Slam laptop shut and resist urge to throw it in the trash. Head home for productive afternoon of email triage, website management, book promoting, secret freelance project writing.

3:45 PM – Instead, re-engage with shower battle. More plunging. More Drano. More shouting.

4:30 PM – Email editor with minor question.

4:32 PM – No response from editor. Refresh email approximately every thirty seconds.

4:35 PM – Decide editor must hate me. Career is over. All is darkness and gloom. Start considering law school applications or refrigerator repair school.

4:40 PM – Google self again. Check in on Goodreads to prove to self that some people like my books.

4:42 PM – Remember that some people do and some people…don’t. Try not to weep.

5:00 PM –Busywork: Write more blog posts for blog tour. Answer fan mail. (Feel guilty about answering it so slowly.) Pay taxes. Finally get together copies of books to mail out to bloggers…discover that post office has been closed for hours.

7:00 PM – Dinner with writerly friends. Assure each other our books are not terrible, our careers are not over, our manuscripts will get finished. Feel very confident that’s true for everyone else.

9:00 PM – Wine and ice cream consumed. Feel very confident about pretty much everything.

11:00 PM – TV: Try to decide between catching up on Gossip Girl, rewatching Torchwood, starting Breaking Bad. Take the path of least resistance and watch current episode of Private Practice. Feel deep sense of shame.

12:00 AM – Lights out. Go to sleep vowing that next day will be more productive. Up and working by 7:30 AM, no questions asked.

Hey, it could happen.

Thanks Robin and WOW, that's pretty full on. The Book of Blood and Shadow is published on 19th January, 2012 in the UK and 10th April, 2012 in the US. You should check back soon for my review :) To find out more about Robin, please click here to visit her website. She is also active on Facebook and Twitter.

Waiting on Wednesday

So, yes I've been a little quiet on the blog lately sue to the craziness that was Christmas and new year, but I'm back! "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Gilt by Katherine Longshore. Here's the synopsis:

"In the Tudor age, ambition, power and charismatic allure are essential and Catherine Howard has plenty of all three. Not to mention her loyal best friend, Kitty Tylney, to help cover her tracks. Kitty, the abandoned youngest daughter of minor aristocracy, owes everything to Cat – where she is, what she is, even who she is. Friend, flirt, and self-proclaimed Queen of Misrule, Cat reigns supreme in a loyal court of girls under the none-too-watchful eye of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk.

When Cat worms her way into the heart of Henry VIII and becomes Queen of England, Kitty is thrown into the intoxicating Tudor Court. It’s a world of glittering jewels and elegant costumes, of gossip and deception. As the Queen’s right-hand-woman, Kitty goes from the girl nobody noticed to being caught between two men – the object of her affection and the object of her desire.

But the atmosphere of the court turns from dazzling to deadly, and Kitty is forced to learn the difference between trust and loyalty, love and lust, secrets and treason. And to accept the consequences when some lessons are learned too late."

Although this is historical and based around real events, I actually quite like the sound of it. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed movies like Girl with a Pearl Earring, Perfume and The Other Boleyn Girl and so I'm excited to read this. I always like the idea of seeing stories from another perspective and so the best friend aspect is one that works for me. Gilt is published on 15th May, 2012 with no news of a UK release as of yet. To find out more about Katherine, please click here to visit her website.