Lack of updates

I am really sorry that there hasn't been any activity on this blog since my last review, but I had my iPad stolen about a week after my previous post. I know that I should have updated the blog with other posts but I felt lost without it. I am pleased to say that I have now got another one and have just finished adding all my netgalley arcs back onto it. I know most book reviewers use the Kindle, but for me the IPad is just as good. I use two programs on my iPad for reading ebooks. The first program I use is the Kindle app, which I am just starting to use so I don't have may ebooks on there yet. The second program I use is called Bluefire Reader, which I use all the time as it always me to read all the netgalley arcs as well as PDFs.  Another reason why I haven't been updating this blog very often is because I really went off reading, I don't mean that I hadn't read a book in a few days I mean I hadn't read a book in a month. I just seemed to have lost interest in reading, but I have to say that that feeling has now gone and I am back into my reading.

I am currently reading a short novella called The Strange Case of Jayne Finley by Kady Cross, the prequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset. I have to say that I am really enjoying this book and the review should be up by the end of the week , if not sooner.

Sorry if this post is a bit on the long side, but I felt that I owed you all an explanation.

Review: A Hopscotch Summer by Annie Murray

Publisher: MacMillian
UK Publication Date: 1st May 2009
Pages: 400
Source: Local Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 out of 5
Synopsis from: Amazon.co.uk

Emma Brown is a happy-go-lucky child, content to work hard at school, and to play hopscotch with her friends on the pavement outside her house in the run-down Nechells area of Birmingham. As long as everything is alright at home with her Ma and Pa, her little sister Joyce and brother Sid, then life is good. But after Em’s mother Cynthia has her baby she just doesn’t seem to be able to cope. Her life-long friend and neighbour Dot helps as much as she can, but she has children of her own, and no man to hand; Cynthia’s husband Bob, too, does his best, but begins to feel that he’s losing the wife he has loved so much; and little Em just can’t find enough hours in the day to do all the washing and cleaning. Soon, it seems, the only thing is for Cynthia to go and stay across the city with her tyrannical older sister.

With Cynthia away, life only gets harder for Em. Her best friend Kate ostracizes her, leaving only poor, stinky Molly Fox at her side, and when the Board Man comes to call, wanting to know why she’s not at school, things are really bad. When Bob stays out later and later in the evenings, always the worse for wear, and spending too much time with a local very merry widow, Em decides to travel across Birmingham to fetch her mother home, but the mother she discovers is a far cry from the proud, upright and loving figure she has known so well . . .


Review:

Being an avid reader of Annie Murray I couldn't wait to read this book, so when it appeared in my local library I knew I had to have it. Annie Murray has again created another outstanding novel. From the first page I was instantly drawn into the world of Emma Brown and her friends, Molly Fox and Katie O'Neill.

Out of all the characters in this book I found myself drawn to Emma and her friend Molly Fox. My heart went out to little Emma as she had to grow up fast. When Emmas' mother, Cynthia Brown, gave birth to Violet things in the Brown household started to change. Cynthia develop a severe case of depression which caused her to, first, being sent to live with her sister Olive, and then being sent to HollyMoor Aslyum. It was at this point that Emma had to give up school and stay at home to do everything. Emma also had to come to terms with the fact that her father, Bob Brown, had started a relationship with the local merry widow, Flossie Dawson.

Where Emma was popular, Molly Fox was the outcast. Molly was the only daughter of Iris and Joe Fox, and had problems of her own. Molly had to face hardships of her. Not only was she being bullied at school, but she was also having to face the abuse that she was subjected to at home from both her mother and her grandfather. It was due to these problems that a bond stated to form between Molly and Emma.

Annie Murray has a way of creating characters that are highly believe able and love able. There were times when I would find myself laughing and crying at the same time.I highly recommend A Hopscotch Summer to fans of historical fiction. A Hopscotch Summer is the first book in a trilogy and I cannot wait to read the others.

Lack of updates

I would just like to apologise for the lack of updates to this blog. I have been experiencing a few problems with my computer, which I am pleased to say have been sorted out finally. I haven't done much reading over the last couple of months, not because I didn't have anything interesting to read but mainly due to the fact that I could't make up my mind what to read.

I am currently reading The One Percenters by John Podgursky.

Review: Diary of a Wimpy Vampire by Tim Collins

Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Limited

UK Publication Date: 20 May 2010

Pages: 222

Source: Library

Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis from: Amazon.co.uk

Like Edward Cullen in "Twilight", Nigel Mullet was transformed into a vampire when he was still a teenager, and will remain this age forever. Unfortunately, Nigel became a vampire at the awkward age of fifteen, and must spend eternity coping with acne, a breaking voice, and an ineptitude with girls . . . In this, his excruciatingly funny diary, Nigel chronicles his increasingly desperate attempts to be noticed by the love of his life, Chloe Sparrow, the constant mortification caused by his vampire parents (not to mention the worry that they might accidentally eat one of his friends), and the frustration one feels when you ve got the whole of boring eternity stretching out in front of you.

Review:

Diary of a Wimpy Vampire is a humorous story told, as the title suggests, in diary form.  It tells the story of Nigel Mullet, a 100 year old vampire, who was transformed at the age of fifteen and his daily struggle with acne, a breaking voice and an ineptitude with girls, especially Chloe the new girl at his school.

Unlike his parents and sister, Nigel doesn't exhibit the usual vampire traits such as super speed, the ability to mesmerize people or hunt for food.  Nigel is, in essence, a Wimp.

I found this book to be very funny and was totally engrossed from the first page.  The artwork contained within the book, by Andrew Pinder, made the story even more engrossing.

Diary of a Wimpy Vampire reminded me of  The Secret Diaries of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend, this is isn't a bad thing as I enjoyed them as well.

I will definitely be buying a copy of this book for my bookshelves, as well as its sequel Diary of a Wimpy Vampire: Prince of Dorkness.

Awesome House of Night Giveaway

Calling all House of Night fans. Would you like to be in with a chance to win a signed copy of Marked, book 1 in the House of Night series plus a Dark Daughters necklace. If so here is what you need to do.

Head over to the Love Fantasy Sci-Fi Novels blog, where Siobhan has all the details.

Good Luck...

W.W.W Wednesday

 

Here is another fantastic weekly meme that is hosted by  MizB from Should Be Reading.

To play along, you just need to answer these three (3) simple questions.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Here are my answers:

What are you currently reading? I've just started reading Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda.  This is the first book in the Billi SanGreal series.

What did you recently finish reading? I've just finished Diary of a Wimpy Vampire by Tim Collins. Review for this book will be posted soon.

What do you think you'll read next? I will be reading Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda. This is book 2 in the Billi SanGreal series. I love the cover.

Teaser Tuesday 1st February 2011

Sorry I meant to post this yesterday..

Teaser Tueday is a weekly event hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate, all you have to do is follow these simple rules:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on the page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to runin the book for others!).
• Include the title and author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser:

 

Billi wondered if this was how girls were meant to behave on dates. Was this what Mike was expecting? She began to feel distinctly uncomfortable.

~ page 98. Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda.