As you guys probably know, I am a huge fan of the comedienne, Miranda Hart. So, when it was revealed earlier in the year that Hodder were going to publish Miranda's novel, Is It Just Me?, I got excited. I spend a good few days trying to figure out if I should beg Hodder for an ARC or buy myself a copy and, if so, should I get the hardback edition or the kindle edition? I REALLY THOUGHT IT THROUGH!
Does this make me kinda sad? If any of you said "Yes", RUDE!
Anyway, Is It Just Me?. Miranda takes a look at life and the struggles we all face (Christmas, Health, Holidays, Beauty, Technology, etc) and ask why isn't there a manual to cope with situations that befall us (like how to flirting while on a bar stool or asking how to drink a cocktail with an umbrella in)? And how does one cope with those situations? While trying to talk to her eighteen year old self (which has high yet completely unrealistic dreams such as being becoming a model, a lacrosse pro and Prime Minister), Miranda tries to explain life and tries to explain how to get over these small
I know that's not the best way to explain it, but unless I use the Amazon summary (which explains nothing really), this is the best I can do.
I loved this! It was gloriously funny! I related to the situations Miranda pointed out and went "Is it just me?". I laughed as she pointed out that Christmas, while all fun and happy, is COMPLETELY stressful. I went "Oh no!" when we talked about technology. And let's not get started on holidays...
I read this going "I wish I could sit down with my eighteen year old self and go 'You're going to be fine'." And I read this either smiling, exploding with laughter or snorting into my mug of tea or coffee. It was one wonderful read.
Yes, I know some of you will go "She's not my cup of tea, humour wise" and that's fine. If she doesn't tickle your funny bone, don't read this. I know a good few comedians that have written books or do DVD standups. I just loved this book. It made me laugh!
And this will tie me over till BBC One start showing the third series of her sitcom. *AM WAITING BBC*. But yes, this was a gloriously funny read and, yes, a guilty pleasure of mine (though, recently, I never go that term... Guilty pleasure. If it was such a guilty thing, why do we admit to it being our guilty pleasure?)
Let's confuse you guys. If you're a fan of Aimee Carter's Goddess Test series, you're probably awaiting the collection of short stories, The Goddess Legacy, to fill the gap before the final book in the series, The Goddess Inheritance. Well, the UK publishers, Mira Ink, decided to split the five stories up and sell them individually on your eReader.
There are five stories in total to choose from. You have Calliope/Hera, Ava/Aphrodite, Persephone, James/Hermes & Hades/Henry. This is the order you're meant to read them in. But seeing as this is me, I won't do that. I have three on my kindle (Ava/Aphrodite, Persephone and James/Hermes - the other two didn't rock my world when I read the summaries on Amazon) and I decide to read them in a random order and before I read Goddess Interrupted (sorry Mira Ink!).
So, God of Thieves follows James/Hermes (I have no idea what to call him!). Now, he likes to cause a bit of trouble. But after what happened to Persephone, the family is mad at James/Hermes. But when two gods just fade, they turn to James/Hermes to find out what happened. Behind Zeus's back, Hermes/James goes down to earth to find out... But will he like what he finds?
I'm not going to lie, I read this while a space of an hour. I didn't expect to read it so fast but I enjoyed reading from James/Hermes's point of view (sorry for the dual names. BLAME AIMEE CARTER! Though... she does explain in this story why the Gods changed their names...) . I always liked him when I read The Goddess Test so I hope he's in Goddess Interrupted (and because I know Persephone features heavily in this, I will read that story quite close to or after I read Goddess Interrupted so I understand her story).
This is very much a fan's read. If you're the fan of the series, this and the other short stories will thrill you no end. I will review the other two stories on my kindle in the next few weeks (no rush!). If you're trying this out to see if you like the series, you might get a tad confused over what's going on...
(Not 100% certain on this but I think the photographer is the same person who did both covers for Myra McEntire's books, Hourglass and Timepiece! YEAH!!!)
Last year, Hodder went gaga over the first book in a trilogy that people were raving about. That was Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I read it (review here, though my feelings have changed a little bit since when I wrote it) and went to the UK launch party (was so much fun!).And it wasn't just Hodder that got excited. The US publisher, Little Brown, were excited. Universal Pictures won the movie rights to the whole trilogy after a huge bidding war (how on EARTH are they going to make these movies is ANYONE'S guess!). And readers went nuts over the world of Karou...
And now, with some hype (but nothing compared to Daughter of Smoke and Bone's), the sequel will be released in a week's time! So, Days of Blood and Starlight. Shall I review it for you?
After the events of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou is missing. Zuzana, Karou best friend in our world, is frantic with worry. Is she with Akiva? Is she ok? Why hasn't she responded to her emails? And will that scumbag known as Karou's ex go away before Zuzana drops a water balloon that might be filled with bladder tea?
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. Once upon a time, they held a wishbone between them. Once upon a time, the wishbone's snap split the world in two...
Now, I had to be be careful what I wrote there because I know there is a fair few of you that would be screaming "NONONO! TELL ME NOTHING!!!" while at the same, hunger for more details. So, it's hard to get the balance right.
Now, I have read other people's reviews of this book and they're split. Some people say this book suffers a little from Second Book Syndrome. Other people disagree and rave about this book. I think it depends on how you view this book. If you put a lot of hype and pressure on a second book in a series like this, it can go one of two ways: it meets your every expectation or it will disappoint you completely.
But I LOVED this book. I think this is because, while I like Daughter of Smoke of Bone, I didn't love it. I think the hype put me off as did the back story as it slowed the whole book down (but, like I said above, my views on Daughter of Smoke and Bone have changed since I wrote and published my review. It's one of those book you have to finish and take time to think about). But with Days of Blood and Starlight... wow. It was addictive reading. I kept trying to read it when I could find time - and I started a new temp job last week so I had to sneak quick reads in my lunch break, on the Park and Ride bus, in bed at a stupid o'clock...
With Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini laid the world of Karou and Akiva out. A real fantasy that we had to make sense of as it felt like the book had taken drugs. But with Days of Blood and Starlight, we got to the meat of the story. What was hinted at in Daughter was there in full force in Days. This is a book about war where no side is the right side. And we see this from several points of views...
And the last 100 or so pages... oh, Laini, you ripped out my heart and left me gasping for air. I can not WAIT to see what you do in the third and final book in this trilogy! I don't know how you are going to top yourself. It's a good thing Hodder is going to publish Lips Touch next year as I need something to get me ready...!
PS - sorry about the Ellie Goulding video. This was the only one I could find that did the sound right and the video wasn't trying to sell you something...
The last Friday of the month means it's time for another Books and Their Theme Songs! For those in know, with most books reviews I write, I have a song at the bottom of the review so you guys hear music that I link and, maybe, show you a song or an artist you might not have heard before.
I like my music. And I like my books. So the two go hand-in-hand for me. Anyway, here's the music for the past 2 months. Enjoy!
DEFIANCE by CJ Redwine "The Weeping Angels (Doctor Who)" by Sam Cushion
DREAM DARK by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl "Seven Devils" by Florence & The Machine
AFTERMATH by Andrea Cremer "Just Be" by Paloma Faith
BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan "Wow And Flutter" by Amy Smith and the Great Picture Show, "You Can't Say That" by Honey Ryder & "Back To You" by Greg Laswell (featuring Elizabeth Ziman)
THE LOST HERO by Rick Riordan "Playing God" by Paramore
Wanna hear a short scary story? Of course you do, it's Halloween tomorrow. Well, Neil Gaiman has released an short scary story in audiobook form and IT'S FREE! Well, till the end of tomorrow (so, if you want it, GO GET IT NOW!!!). It's free and, every time it gets downloaded via Audible UK or Audible.com, 50p is going to charity. If you download your copy from the UK/Commonwealth store, the charity BookTrust will get the donation. If you download the story from the US store, the charity DonorsChoose.org. But this will only happen till the end of Halloween itself so GO!
If you have missed this, rumour has it that this story will be released in an upcoming anthology called Impossible Monsters, though I can't find proof of this so take this with a pinch of salt.
I'm not going to reveal much about this (yes, I know this is a review!) as it's only 12 minutes long. 2 of them is Neil talking and, oh, his voice! I love his voice. He makes the story have an extra edge of spooky and it's perfect for this time of year. Very atmospheric and almost gothic, and very clever.
What a short yet deceptive tale this is for when the nights get darker sooner...
Me having The Lost Hero on my Kindle is a weird story. One day, after hearing goodness knows how many people on YouTube and Twitter talk about how AMAZING his books are, investigated and found that the first book in each of his series were full priced and yet, the third or last books were £1.99. After questioning this on Twitter (I forget that people READ my tweets), Amazon changed the price of all the first books in his series to £1.99. ACE! Thank you Puffin! Hence me downloading both the first book in the Percy Jackson series, Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, and the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series, The Lost Hero. Several months passed and I haven't read either (Have you not see my To Read piles?!) and, after treating myself to the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series, The Mark of Athena, for a £5 (that's less than a penny per page! And that includes the glossary!), I was going to read this book. You know, guys, I jump into the middle of a series and work backwards. But no, I decided to go back to the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series, The Lost Hero.
When Jason, Piper and Leo go to the Grand Canyon, they have no idea that, within hours, they will appear in Camp Half-Blood, being told that they are demigods and one of their parents is a Greek Gods. Camp Half-Blood is the safest place for a demigod to be. Expect Camp Half-Blood is missing a hero - Percy Jackson - and a scary prophecy. With the three embarking on a dangerous quest, which has to be completed by the winter solstice (which is happening in 4 days!), the three have problems. Jason has happened his memory wiped and keeps calling the gods by their Roman names, not their Greeks and with both Piper and Leo keeping secrets, can the trio succeed?
Am going to be honest: this was a fun and slightly addictive read. Do you know how rare that is? I found myself enjoying clicking through the pages, trying to figure out what happen what's going to happen next. And with Rick writing every two chapters from either Jason, Piper and Leo's point of view, you read the chapters quickly to keep the story going fast-pace and you want to return to your fave character (I liked all of them, but Leo has a place in my heart as he was the book's light relief). Plus, the idea of Greek mythology and Roman mythology clashing together - BRILLIANT idea!
I know some of you true fans will be shocked as Percy's not in this book - THE OUTRAGE!!! But, trust me, it is explained! I promise. It is explained and you guys will then get mad at Rick...
Now, I have to say something before I go on. After I finished The Lost Hero, and tweeted people to say I read it and was excited to read the next book in the series, The Son of Neptune, I made a tiny mistake. I told people on Twitter that The Lost Hero was my first Rick Riordan's book. Oh, the shock on Twitter about this news! Mainly from my booky pals of @wingedreviews, @JeremyWest, @JeffreyWest, @livin_thru_arts & @CassJayTuck. They were SHOCKED that I read The Lost Hero without reading the Percy Jackson series. Guys, if I knew you Percy Jackson's fans were so dedicated...!
Ok, I wanted to read The Lost Hero. I just fancied reading it. No other reason! It was that or Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (I read both in the end! Am still reading Beautiful Creatures at the time of writing this, although by the time you read this, I should be finished and writing/editing my review). And while I read The Lost Hero, there was references to the Percy Jackson's series, but I thought I was fine reading. It was very much "Yes, this war happened, but you don't need to worry about that. Worry about the war you're in the middle of now!" so I was fine reading it.
I did promise them that, before I continued reading the Heroes of Olympus series, I will read Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief. So, that will probably be my next Rick Riordan book or The Red Pyramid (as that's the first book in the series that tackles myths for Ancient Egypt [which I'm a sucker for!]). So... yeah... I might be a new fan to Rick Riordan if he keeps the writing and story telling as addictive as it was in The Lost Hero!
