SMILE - You Alone Are Enough

Unlike the past two SMILEs, I didn't see this while on holiday in May, but I saw this on Pinterest so THANK YOU PINTEREST (again)

So, if you are on Pinterest and you want to follow me, go to http://www.pinterest.com/pewterwolf/ and click on the boards you want to follow (whether that be one/two or all of them!)

How Should I Review?

It's been a scary time for book bloggers and vloggers lately. We read in horror the article about an author stalking (there is no other word for it) a book blogger because they gave said author's book a negative review and seeing people's reactions to this (have you not read the comments and some authors in favor of what this author did?). And then, yesterday, another author said that there "is too much positivity in the book world". 

So, in the past few weeks, book bloggers and vloggers have been told that writing bad reviews is bad, and yet so is writing good reviews. Conflicting messages been sent here. Which is it? 

I know this is an extreme reactions and very rare. In all my time in blogging, I have never had someone attack me (in real life or online) and, while I have written a review or two where my reaction to the book/novella was negative, I review books that I enjoy reading, and the idea that I give books positive reviews because the publisher has sent me a copy of the book for review is wrong. 

And the idea that all book bloggers/vloggers do this is just as bad. 

For example, I do get books and eBooks send to me by publishers and I am hugely grateful. In the past, I would try my hardest to read them all and write my reactions - good or bad. Some of the books I was sent I never read (due to many reasons) or I started but I never finished because I dislike/hated the book. But I chose not to review these (though if I did talk about them in two posts, An Open Letter about Delirium and When Is It Time To Stop?) as I felt it wouldn't feel right to review a book/eBook that I only read 30% of. How is a review of a book I only read 30% of fair? 

At the time I entered the world of book blogging, I was unemployed and reading books then chatting about my love for reading online saved me for getting upset over the situation I was in. Reading was a hobby I enjoyed so I jumped to that. I now have a job and I still enjoy chatting about books. Reading is still a hobby I enjoy. 

Reading is a hobby and I want to get enjoyment out of it. So, is it weird that I read books that I feel I will enjoy? I do go out of my comfort zone with books - sometimes, I am surprised how much I like and enjoy it. Other times, I'm not thrilled over the book in questions and, on those rare occasions, I start a book I dislike/am not "clicking" with so I stop reading them. 

Does that make me a bad blogger? Someone who is doing this in their spare time so wants to read books he could/would/might enjoy? 

And where does that leave this blog? Honestly, the same as it was a few days ago. I'm still going to read books that I hope I will like/love. I'm still going to try and write reviews of my opinions on said books and hoping you guys understand that this is MY opinion. I know bloggers/vloggers who have read and loved a book (for example, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green) whereas I wasn't that impressed. And there have been times I have read and thoroughly enjoyed/loved a book and other bloggers/vloggers have disliked (for example, Harry Potter). 

So, dear readers, before I leave you, I want to leave you with two points, if that's ok. 

1. The reviews that I write/vlog are MY OPINIONS. Just because I say I love a book doesn't mean you will. The same with if I said I loathed a book. Everyone is unique and so is everyone's opinion. So please be respectful and kind. 

2. Life is too short to read crap books. 

Books And Their Theme Songs - Volume 26

Happy Halloween! Before we go into the music for the past 2 months reads, let me throw this song at you...

Now we have that out of the way... ONTO THE MUSIC!!!

DAY 21 by Kass Morgan
"Bring On The Wonder" by Susan Enan


THE MISUNDERSTANDING by Irene Nemirovsky
"I Caught Myself" by Paramore, "Love is a Camera" by Sophie Ellis Bextor, "Figure 8" by Ellie Goulding, "Black Star" by Eliza Lumley & "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" by Paloma Faith






A NEW YORK CHRISTMAS by Anne Perry
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Kelly Clarkson


DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS by Laini Taylor
"Dreams of Gods and Monsters" by Lana Del Ray (BBC Eastenders Cut)


FRAIL MORTAL HEART (Advance Chapter Sampler) by Zoe Marriott
"Satellite Heart" by Anya Marina

Zoe Marriott Event and COVER FOR FRAIL MORTAL HEART REVEAL!!!

I'm not sure how this happened but I was invited to got to a special event via Walker Books in connection with Zoe Marriott.

In case you are not aware, I ADORE Zoe's The Name of the Blade trilogy. So, of course, I had to go to get titbits! ANY INFORMATION WOULD DO!

So, last Saturday, I went to London and it was a weird day from the word go as, walking through a train station to get to the London Underground, I walked past Rob Lloyd Jones (author of Wild Boy - another Walker Book that I LOVE!). But as I wasn't sure if it was him and I didn't want to make myself look like a fool infront of a stranger, I tweeted Rob to check and - yep. It was him.

Damn it.

After meeting Luna from Luna's Little Library (who has lent me a book and dragged me into an awesome charity bookshop [the same that Stevie from SableCaught took me to! Completely forgot its existence!] and made me buy 3 books that sound interesting), we went to Walker Books to meet Zoe and other book bloggers I haven't seen in AGES! I missed you all and we need to meet up more often!

Zoe and everyone at Walker Books were lovely as we talked about Zoe's inspiration, Japanese mythology (something I really want to read more about!) and future novel ideas. Maybe. All of which sounded exciting and awesome. Laura from SisterSpooky and I got very excited over one idea which I hope does get written!

And while Walker very kindly offered mugs of tea (in Where's Wally? mugs), sandwiches and chocolate cake, Zoe read a tiny scene from the third and final book in the Name of the Blade trilogy, Frail Mortal Heart. And I think we were either clapped when she finished, shouted at her to keep reading or sat there in stunned silence, I can't remember.

And then, Zoe revealed the cover for Frail Mortal Heart. And Walker have sent a high-def photo to us to show on the blog, hence why I didn't write this Saturday night/Sunday. I wanted it here to show you! (Will keep you waiting for a paragraph or two. Hang in there!)

After that, Zoe were very kind to sign books (I had to get her to sign my copies of Name of the Blade. I'm sorry, but I HAD to!) and Walker very kindly offered some of her books to us. Which is lovely as I have plans to try and read at least ONE of Zoe's books. I hope it will be Shadows on the Moon. Well, I've told people I will have that read by Christmas and they will tell me off if I don't, but I hope to read that and one other before my next blog break!

Before I reveal the cover of Frail Mortal Heart, I just want to say thank you to Walker Books for inviting me to this event. Thank you for Zoe for reading, answer questions and making me both love/hate her. Thank you to all the bloggers who turned up - it's been so long! And thank you to Rob who I was too afraid to say hi to. Next time...

Anyway, the cover of Frail Mortal Heart. Are we ready? Three, two, one...

ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?! THIS IS MY FAVE COVER OF THE WHOLE TRILOGY!!! LOOK AT IT!!! We have swords, kickass leads and A DRAGON!!! WE GOING TO HAVE A DRAGON IN THIS BOOK, PEOPLE!!! (I kinda love dragons).

But yes, I can not WAIT to read this! But July 2015 is SO FAR AWAY!!! And because of this, all the bloggers who came to the event was given an advance chapter sampler of the very first chapter in this book.

I won't read it. I won't. I - SOD IT! AM READING IT.

*reads advance chapter sampler*

I hate myself.

GoodRead - The Testing

After reading The Guest Cat over a very short period of time (while I was away of holiday), I asked Twitter if I should read this or if I should read The Bone Season. Twitter, to my surprise, told me to read The Testing. Whenever I ask Twitter to pick my next read, you guys always surprise me...

Every year, the United Commonwealth invites the top students from each colony to take part in The Testing. If you are successful, you go onto University and, after that, help the Government rebuild the war-stricken world. If you failed... best not thinking about.

Cia Vale is one of the successful students going to take part in The Testing. But her father gives her one warning - Trust No One. And what Cia sees within The Testing will change her...

This book is a bit of mixed bag. While I liked reading it, I saw real issues with it and, because of these, it makes it hard to warm to the book.

I liked the idea of this story and the series - the idea of education becoming more lethal - and I know that the second and third books in this trilogy are better than this first book from several reviews I have read.

But, I hate to say this, the execution of this idea is lacking. I'm not sure if it's how the main character, Cia, told the story or the packing of the story. There were times where information was thrown in a paragraph to speed things along (when it might have been more interesting to read the characters talking about the same information). Also, with the four Tests that took part in The Testing, the first 3 test took part within the first 40% but the last test took part in, roughly, the last 40-45%.

What worse is that, at times, I couldn't help but compare to The Hunger Games. Which you should never do, as The Hunger Games isn't the be-all and end-all of YA dystopia novels, but when you have something so successful, you can't help but compare. And at times, you couldn't help but wonder if, because The Hunger Games was so successful, someone wanted something similar and wanted to publish it quickly and The Testing was what was written.

But, like I said before, I know from other book reviewers/vloggers that the series does improve and I do have Independent Study and Graduation Day on my kindle (all 3 of these books are 99p at the moment! BARGAIN!) so I will continue the series. But I don't think that this book is a great book to start a trilogy with.

SMILE - Imagination Encircles The World

Like with last week's SMILE, I saw this quote randomly in May and I wanted to share it with you! So, TA-DAH!!!

My thanks goes to Pinterest as this was the best picture I could find with this quote so THANK YOU PINTEREST!

Ok, the drill. I am on Pinterest so if you want to follow any of my boards (SMILE, Winter, Stories Read In 2014, Love, etc), go to http://www.pinterest.com/pewterwolf/ and follow them all or the boards you want to.

GoodRead - A New York Christmas

Ok, I am writing this blogpost in September, but I think I shall post this near the UK publication date so end of October, which means I am breaking my own rule of writing review when I finished the book and airing it when it's written. Oh well!

Jemima Pitt arrives in New York. The year is 1904. She's there to chaperone her friend, Delphinia, across the ocean to marry one of New York's richest men. But when Jemima discovers a secret that could ruin the wedding, she tries to protect her friend.

And it backfires. Soon, Jemima has to prove her innocence in an unfamiliar city...

I requested this from BookBridgr on impulse. Plus, was going through a phase where I wanted to read Christmas reads and was requesting them (this was my third, if I remember correctly) and I thought this would be a light, cozy read.

Which it was. It's a novella that I can imagine fans reading on Christmas Day after Christmas lunch and the Queen's Speech to past the time before the Christmas edition of Strictly Come Dancing or Downton Abbey started.

However, while I liked it, I sense this novella wasn't for me. I love a good cozy murder mystery (remember, I own two DVDs of Murder, She Wrote - DON'T JUDGE ME!), but it was a tad too cozy for my tastes. I feel that this story was aimed for an older target audience rather than someone in their late twenties.

But, it was a different read for me, and I always like to try something new. And while it has started to get me in the mood for Christmas (I hate Halloween so am ignoring that holiday!) and I wanted something fast to read before I dare tackle a beast of a book (which I sense I have reviewed already... hopefully...), this story just wasn't my cup of mulled wine.

SMILE - Imperfection is Beauty

I saw this somewhere and I have always found it such a cool quote, so I wanted to share it with you!

My thanks goes to Pinterest for the best pic I could find with this quote.

If you want to follow all my boards on Pinterest, go to http://www.pinterest.com/pewterwolf/. Or, if you only just want to follow my SMILE board, go to http://www.pinterest.com/pewterwolf/smile/.