Saturday, January 7, 2012

On My Wishlist (#25)


On My Wishlist is an awesome weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City that runs every Saturday.  It's a place where you can put up all the books you're desperate to read, but haven't actually bought them yet.  They can be old, new or forthcoming.    And, even better, everyone can join in with too, because there's a Mr Linky so you can put your post up.  All you have to do is click on the link below:

Now, it being New Year, I asked my friend Sammee (I Want To Read That) if she could think of some books I have to read this year.  These are a few from the list, all of which I really want to read now!  Thanks Sammee!

Being BillyBeing Billy
By: Phil Earle
Published: 6th January 2011
Published By: Puffin
Found: Through Sammee (I Want To Read That)'s Suggestion
Synopsis From Goodreads:
Faces flashed before my eyes. And for every face there was a time that they had let me down. Each punch that landed was revenge, my chance to tell them I hadn't forgotten what they did. Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - with the system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away. As far as Billy's concerned, he's on his own. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble. But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else. Can he?
I have the second book by Phil Earle Saving Daisy that I can't wait to read, and I've seen great reviews about his one all over the blogworld.  And as Sammee suggests it: right up the wanted list!


 
Texas GothicTexas Gothic

By: Rosemary Clement-Moore
Published: 12th July 2011
Published By: Random House
Found: Through Sammee (I Want To Read That)'s Suggestion
Synopsis From Goodreads:
Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.
Everytime I go into Waterstones, I hover over this book, picking it up and reading the blurb.  Due to tight budgets, I always have to put it back down.  But, again, it was on the list, so it's goin' up as a priority buy!  


 

Deadly Cool (Deadly Cool, #1)Deadly Cool
Series: Deadly Cool, Book One
By: Gemma Halliday
Published: 11th October 2011
Published By: HarperTeen
Found: Through Sammee (I Want To Read That)'s Suggestion
Synopsis From Goodreads:
Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.
But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.
Love the sound of this one!  Murder mystery: my favourite!  I really want it now!!



The Ghost and the GothThe Ghost and the Goth
Series: The Ghost and The Goth 
By: Stacey Kade
Published: 10th May 2011
Published By: Hyperion
Found: Through Sammee (I Want To Read That)'s Suggestion

Synopsis From Goodreads:
After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck as a spirit in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.
Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?
I've seen so many good things about this book!  And this blurb has made me think I may have to get my hands on a copy!  :D


Thanks Sammee for all the book suggestions!  :D

What's on your wishlist this week?

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Fifteen Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins

Publisher: Oxford
Format: ARC
Published: 5th January 2012
Number of Pages: 288
Book: For Review*
Genre: Realistic-Fiction, Contemporary, Humorous, Action-Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Psychological Thriller-Suspense, YA
Recommended Age: 12+
Contains: Mild Violence and Swearing, Alcohol References
No Drug References
Author's Site: Dave Cousins

How far would you go to keep your family together?
The sensational debut novel from Dave Cousins, winner of SCBWI’s Undiscovered voices 2010
Meet LAURENCE, fifteen years old and six feet tall.  Very soon, he’ll dress up as his mum and impersonate a dead man on the radio.
Meet JAY, his six year old brother.  He looks like an angel but thinks he’s a dog.  He’ll sink his teeth into anyone who gets in the way.
Today is Tuesday – and the next fifteen days with change the boys’ lives forever…


                                                                   Review:
What would you do to keep your family together?  Fifteen-year-old Laurence Roach is prepared to do anything to keep his little brother Jay with him: See, his Mum has problems.  She drinks a lot and smokes and works two rubbish jobs to get enough money to feed them all.  But one day, she just doesn’t come home.  To start with, Laurence isn’t overly worried.  She’s disappeared before, gone off drinking ‘til her money runs out.  But after a while, he realises this is different.  And to keep Jay with him, Laurence has to pretend his Mum is still there.  And as I said before, Laurence will do anything to keep his family together.  Including dressing up as him mum.
The next fifteen days are going to change both Jay and Laurence’s lives forever…
I started this one as soon as I got it, but had to put it aside because of other review priorities.  It’s been niggling at me ever since them.  I only left it for a little while, and I almost went round the bend, desperate to know more about Laurence.  And after reading the whole book: not disappointed!  I loved every moment, loved Laurence and Mina and especially little Jay!  I was just sucked into the story, and I had to know what happened to the boys.  It was the most amazing debut!
Laurence Roach was someone I loved straight away.  He was funny, but I also knew instantly that he’d been through so much.  He was the most amazing big brother, always looking after Jay, always having to be strong for Jay…  And Laurence really was so, so strong.  He had to deal with too much, poor boy, so much responsibility.    Laurence tried so hard to keep everything together:  constantly looking out for his mum, getting up at 5am to get her ready for her job, even doing it for her.   His biggest fear was that his brother would be taken away and he wouldn’t be able to stop it.  Laurence Laurence Roach just felt so real to me.  I feel Mina described him perfectly: “stupid – but brave”. 
Jay Roach was sweet, and both too naĂŻve and too old.  He had a thing for dogs: he pretended to be one – mainly to bug Laurence.  Strangers loved him because of his angelic looks.  And he was just really funny – even if he didn’t mean to be!  I mean, he turned into “Scooby Doo” – Scooby bites people, not Jay!  I loved the kid, and felt so sorry for him as well.
‘Mum’ – Margret Roach, drank and smoked.  Her kids hid until ‘Happy Hours’, when the drink would make her smile and be all hugs and kisses.  She was so depressed: without drink she stayed in bed or locked herself in the bathroom and cried.  Or she got mad.  All the way through, I was asking: Why did she leave?   By the end of the book, I had my answer.  And everything I thought about her changed.
Mina was in a brass band, sort of bossy and confident.  I liked her straight away!  She was just really funny, and really nice to Laurence, as well as being smart and logical.  Oh – and slightly mad!  Plus I totally felt the Mina-Laurence chemistry!  It was a really strong and sweet romance.
But probably my favourite thing about this story was the relationship between Laurence and Jay; I loved it.  You could tell how much they loved each other: it was really touching and real.  They stuck together through everything.  Laurence always looking after Jay, who was the Scooby to his Shaggy.  Although they were close, there was also just the right amount of exasperation and bickering.  Siblings just aren’t siblings without a little fighting, after all!  Most of all, I loved how the two of them and Mina pretend to be the Scooby Gang!
I love contemporary.  The whole real-life horrors and dramas have become addictive for me.  Fifteen Days Without a Head was an amazing contemporary.  I loved the problems, how real it felt to me.  I loved seeing how an ordinary teen, with extraordinary strength, handled everything, overcame it.  I fell in love with Laurence and Jay, their relationship.  And Dave’s writing was just infectious.  It was totally teenager, without feeling forced.  More importantly, it was Laurence Roach.  I could feel him as I read, but more than that, it was emotional.  I cried (out loud) at some bits, laughed my head off at others (mainly when Jay was involved).  I just fell in love with the voice, and was left wanting more.  Somehow, Dave managed to pull off a heavy subject with a light voice, something that is insanely hard to do, and I applaud him for it.  I can’t wait to see what he brings out next.  Maybe another Roach tale…
Fifteen Days Without a Head sucked me in with the characters, the plot, the writing.  The reality.  And the fact that Laurence was just so relatable.  It was a beautiful but horrible, a moving, emotional and funny story, with lovable and relatable characters and a believable plot, Fifteen Days Without a Head is a stunning book, one I won't be forgetting for a long time, and Dave is an author to look out for!  I loved this story!

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5





Read this book if you liked:
Anything by Keith Gray
Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz
Holes or The Cardturner by Louis Sachar


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
Happy Reading
Megan
* This book was received from OUP in exchange for an honest review

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles, Book One
Publisher: Puffin
Format: ARC
Published: 5th January 2012
Number of Pages: 400
Book: For Review*
Genre: Dystopian, Science-Fiction, Action-Adventure, Romance, Fairy-Tale, Fantasy, Steampunk, YA, Pre-Teen
Recommended Age: 11+
Contains: Mild Violence, Death, Mild Swearing
No Alcohol, Drug References
Author's Site: Marissa Meyer

A forbidden romance.
A deadly plague.
Earth's fate hinges on one girl . . .
CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.
This is not the fairytale you remember. But it's one you won't forget.

                                                                   Review:
Cinder is the best mechanic in the kingdom.  She’s also a cyborg.  A plague is sweeping through the land of New Beijing.  A manipulative alien queen is trying to force young Prince Kai into a marriage alliance, threatening his kingdom with war.  Cinder is stuck in the middle of it all, trapped by loyalties and her growing feelings for Kai.  When the truth behind Cinder’s mysterious past is revealed, it changes everything.  Caught between love and hate, freedom and war, Cinder’s actions could change the future forever…
Cinder, Cinder, Cinder.  Where do I start?  How do I describe the pure awesomeness that makes up this book?  Imagine the Cinderella fairy tale.  Now imagine it in a futuristic world, where Cinderella is a cyborg in a kingdom on the brink of war with a non-human race with freaky powers.   There’s also an incurable plague sweeping through the land.  And throw in a gorgeous prince with an irresistible smile, just for luck...  Ah, Cinder  loved it!
Cinder herself was someone I liked straight away.  She was funny and sarcastic, as well as being totally awesome, with some really cool cyborg powers!  Cinder was just a really sweet person, who didn’t deserve any of the bad things that happened to her.  She was also the perfect heroine: kickbutt, strong, witty, caring and not perfect.  She was real.  I loved her, and seeing her grow into herself.
And Prince Kai (our very own Prince Charming) was really sweet and kind and down to earth.  And drop-dead gorgeous, obviously.  I found him really funny and brilliantly sarcastic.  And you just know that he would do anything for his people from the moment you meet him.  I loved him: I mean, forget Prince Charming, I want me a Prince Kai! 
Now, I just have to mention Iko, a little android with a unique personality.  She was so cute!  And funny.  She was like a totally juvenile (and freakin’ hilarious) teenage girl.  I never thought I could love a little robot as much as I loved Iko! 
The Lunas, the ones New Beijing was almost at war with were terrifying!  They were more-than-human-humans, with freaky mind-controlling powers.  They were the perfect ‘bad-guys’, for lack of a better word: scary, imposing with an evil, manipulative queen… 
Now, while I am aware this is a book, that the things in it are fantasy, the way the cyborgs were treated… it made my blood boil.  They were taken, against their will, and used as guinea pigs.  Treated like slaves, second class citizens.  It was a brilliantly crafted mirror of what has happened in the past in some cultures.
Before I say anything else, can I just say: I loved this world!  Cyborgs, androids, dashing princes, evil stepmothers.  It has seriously got to be the best Cinderella twist EVER!  And it was just insanely addictive, with a killer ending that has left me desperate for Book Two!
Although I managed to guess a few twists, I loved every turn Cinder took.  I loved the plot, I was never bored.  I was on the edge of my seat, unable to put it down.  I fell in love with all the characters – the amazingly strong Cinder, the adorable Iko, the sweet Peony, the gorgeous Kai.  I adored the relationships: the horrid one between Cinder and her stepmother, the amazingly slow and beautiful one between Kai and Cinder, the teacher-student bond between the brilliant Dr Erland and Cinder.  I just loved every moment of Cinder and I’ve been left desperate to know what happens next.  I need to get back into Cinder’s world!
The writing was amazing.  It was written so younger kids will love it, and instantly get stuck in, but so older readers can see some parallels between their world of the future and our past.  Discrimination, plague, wars, forced alliances.  Somehow Meyer managed to effortlessly weave the old with the new, the young and the old, the future and the past, science fiction and fantasy.  I was just sucked in, absorbed in the story.  Cinderella has been given a new lease of life in the brave Cinder, a kickbutt awesome heroine who most definitely trumps Disney’s princess.  And she felt real. Like I knew her, which is even more important for me.  Meyer nailed it!  In other, shorter words.
Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5



Read this book if you liked:
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
Megan
* This book was received from Puffin in exchange for an honest review
Happy Reading

The British Books Challenge 2012

Last year, I signed up to do this and completed the 12-book challenge.  I really suprised myself with how few British books I read, seeing as I am myself British.  So this year, I am aiming for the 50 books!  *pumps fist to show determination*  The host has changed: This year it's being hosted by Kirsty @ The Overflowing Library

To take part yourself, click on the link below:


Read this year:
Books I plan on reading (worry not, the list shall grow longer):
  1. 15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins
  2. Shadow of the Hawk (Wereworld, Book Three) by Curtis Jobling
  3. Chocolate S.O.S by Sue Limb


  1. This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees
  2. Department 19 by Will Hill
  3. Ausländer by Paul Dowswell
  4. The Enemy by Charlie Higson
  5. Time Riders by Alex Scarrow
  6. Time Riders – Day of the Predator by Alex Scarrow
  7. The Medusa Project - Hostage by Sophie McKenzie
  8. The Medusa Project - The Rescue by Sophie McKenzie
  9. Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie
  10. Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy
  11. In Darkness by Nick Lake
  12. Junk by Melvin Burgess
  13. The Spook’s Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
  14. Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo
  15. Henderson’s Boys – The Escape by Robert Muchamore
  16. Henderson’s Boys – Eagle Day by Robert Muchamore
  17. Henderson’s Boys – Secret Army by Robert Muchamore
  18. Cherub - The General by Robert Muchamore
  19. Cherub - Brigands M.C. by Robert Muchamore
  20. Velvet by Mary Hooper
  21. Zara by Mary Hooper
  22. White Heat by K. M. Grant
  23. The Time of the Reaper by Andrew Butcher
  24. A Discworld Novel - I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
  25. I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison
  26. The Poison Garden by Sarah Singleton
  27. The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
  28. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
  29. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  30. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
  31. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  32. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle