Tommy Vs Cancer

Yes, I know I am breaking my two week blog break! I KNOW!!! But, I had to break it because of this wonderful tour that is going to happen in July and everyone involved wanted to show our support to this tour!

The Tommy Vs Cancer Blog Tour is to show support to author Tommy Donbavand who was recently diagnosed with cancer (and hopefully help him kick cancer butt!) and raise awareness for this horrible disease that doesn't only affect the person themselves but their family, friends and loved ones.

If you want to know more about Tommy's fight, he is documenting his battle with the Big C. So check out:

http://www.tommyvcancer.com

http://www.tommyvcancer.com/support/

https://twitter.com/tommydonbavand

This tour is taking place throughout July (starting on the first, of course) and, according to my info, there are still places if you want to get involved - whether you are an author, book blogger/vlogger. Every one involved will review a book written by Tommy (which look like a scream! Can't wait to read one myself... I wonder which one), as well as including money on how they can help Tommy. 

Anyone wishing to be involved should contact Viv (aka the lovely Serendipity Reviews or @Serendipity_Viv) at vivienne_dacosta [at] hotmail [dot] com, who will collate all the requests, working with Faye Rogers to organise a plan for the tour.

Cancer is a terrible and, at times, very lonely disease. If you want to know more about this, you can check out http://www.cancerresearchuk.org & http://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/audience/just-diagnosed.html#162025. 

Hope you will join us on this special tour. 

Next Month...

This month, am going to try something a little different. I usually try themed month/yea as way to get my NetGalley eARCs or because it's about time to reread THAT series again (because WHY NOT! - And yes, am planning this again later this year... maybe...)

Well, I had this idea for a themed month for the past year now, but I kept putting it off due to one reason or another. But I think this month is the perfect month to do it so, this month is Murder Month May (Or Murder Month... I like this month. Easier to hashtag, no?).

Murder May is going to be (hopefully) a themed month where I am going to read or reread books/ebooks/audiobooks that either fit in the crime/thriller genre or have elements of crime, thriller or mystery.

Next month can go one of a few ways. Either...

... or...

...or...

...or even...

It, I hope, won't end like this...

... or this...

(Sorry Not sorry. I HAD to find a way to put them in this post! HAD TO!!!) 

Anyway, let's read murder together next month, hence the next two weeks off. So, my lovely readers, I hope you enjoy these few days of blog quiet, because when I come back... Happy reading. And remember... 

Books And Their Theme Songs - Volume 33

So, is this post of Books and Their Theme Songs gonna be longer than the last post back in February? Well, scroll down and have a look/listen to find out!

KINDRED SPIRITS by Rainbow Rowell
"I Do What I Like" by The Corrs


SPOT THE DIFFERENCE by Juno Dawson
"One Strike" by All Saints


FRAIL HUMAN HEART by Zoe Marriott
"Tidal" by Imogen Heap & "Minds Without Fear" by Imogen Heap & Vishal/Shekhar



HALF LOST by Sally Green
"Scars" by Tove Lo


THE CROWN AND THE ARROW by Renne Ahdieh
"The Sky Is Calling" by Kim Boekbinder

#re3 - Mister Monday

This is going to be my last bookish post before my two week break and my themed month. And, of course, it's a reread.

Although, not really. I was reading something else. But, I got a good 150 pages in and I wasn't feeling it. Sometimes, you just don't click with a book at that moment. And I didn't click reading that book - though I do have plans to return to reading it in the future once everything has calmed a little down.

I had an itch to read Garth Nix. I was thinking of rereading books from his Old Kingdom series, to get myself ready for Goldenhand, out later this year. But after reading the prologue of Lirael, I changed my mind. Not sure why, but I picked up Mister Monday instead. I always had an itch to reread this series (though I have never read Drowned Wednesday).

On the first day, Arthur was meant to die of an asthma attack. Instead, Mister Monday and Sneezer appeared and changed all that. Now, Arthur can see a House that no one can see. Now, there are dog-faced men trying to catch him, trying to steal something Mister Monday gave to Arthur to protect himself from the Will, whatever that is.

Seven days. Seven keys. Seven sins. Seven virtues. One House. But is Arthur up to saving the House, but the his world as well...?

It's been a while since I had read this series, so I was going to back with a vague memory of this book. Not a complete memory, but I wasn't working in blind. But there were things in this that I read a went "Oh yeah! I forgot about you!"

This series is older middle-grade so it's very different from the Old Kingdom which is very much older YA. So little scenes that would be more graphic was much simpler (not a bad thing, mind). Plus, while I would class this as fantasy, it's a mix of genres - steampunk, for example, is dotted here and there.

And I forgot how nuts this series is. It really is mad on fantasy and magic. And this is book one. We get use to this as the series goes on, but in this first book, it's a little shocking and, for poor Arthur (and for us), overwhelming.

But I missed this world. I forgot how much I enjoy this! And I feel the itch to continue rereading this series. So, after my themed month is done and dusted, looks like am going to reread two series for the rest of the year. Brace yourselves, dear reader. It's going to be one weird ride!

eNovella Review - The Crown and the Arrow

Ok, I only downloaded and read this eNovella because of two reasons. The first was that it's a prequel to The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh and I keep seeing this book online and people gushing over it. Plus, it sounds like something I think I would enjoy so decided to take the plunge and try this out.

The second was it's free. What better way to figure out if you are going to like a book series than trying out a prequel novella that is free?!

Seventy one days and nights have passed. Seventy one brides that Khalid has had killed. This dawn marks the arrival of Khalid's seventy second bride. But this bride is different. Not only did this bride volunteered but, when they first meet, Khalid is shocked by the look of hatred that he receives from his new bride...

Why does she hate him so much? And why isn't she afraid of dying, when everyone knows that she will be dead by next sunrise? Khalid has never entered his wife's chamber before... tonight is going to be different...

Ok, am going to say it. THIS IS VERY SHORT! I read it within 10 to 20 minutes, it's that short. Yes, I know it's free and I shouldn't complain but its length surprised me.

Plus, the eNovella is basically what you have read above, taken from Khalid's point of view. This is a scene from The Wrath and the Dawn, told not from the main character but from someone else in the room. If you have read the book, this would be very interesting for you.

But, if you haven't, as such as myself, it might come across confusing. All the questions asked weren't answered (because they are answered in the main story and the main character that this eNovella is told from knows all the answers already, but hate them so never reference/explain himself), and there were little hints. But it's very open ended. Like I said before, this is a scene from The Wrath and the Dawn, told from other character's point of view.

However, this does intrigue me. I liked the writing style and I am curious over why Khalid takes a bride, only to have them killed a few hours later.

I know this duology doesn't have a UK publisher, to my knowledge, but if I see The Wrath and the Dawn in bookshops, I might pick it up and find out more. Might being the word here. I'm not completely sold on it as of yet, so I await book bloggers/vloggers I trust opinions on it before I go any further...

Harry Potter News!

It's been a busy few days in the Harry Potter world.

First was the news that, within the first four months of being available on Audible, Harry Potter has sold one million copies. This is going across Audible.co.uk, Audible.com, Audible.de & Audible.com.au.

But this came within hours of the cover of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - illustrated Edition being unveiled by Bloomsbury UK and Scholastic USA, and with exclusive images being shown on Pottermore.com.

Now, I don't own Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Illustrated Edition (and I call myself a fan!!!), but I just wanted to show you guys the cover and point out the audiobook news so... well... the fandom isn't dead yet! And with this only the start - we have Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them both coming out later in the year... well... Busy time for us lot!

Anyway, here is the cover!

Ok guys, what do you think? Do you like? Do you hate? Do you think it's too similar to the original UK children's cover? Leave a comment down below as am very intrigued over your thoughts and feels on this... 

Book Review - The Austere Academy

I'm still not sure why I am still not saying that reading/rereading this series is my year long challenge.  It seems to be turning into something I want to read by the end of this year and, let's face it, am doing a pretty good job of staying on track with this series. 

And as you might know if you have read my #re3 of The Miserable Mill, this is the first book in this year long unofficial challenge that I haven't read, so was going into this quite blind. I didn't even google what the word "Austere" meant (See? We book bloggers aren't as smart as we fake ourselves to be!) till I was quite close to the end of the book. 

In this, the fifth book of the series, the Baudelaire orphans are sent to the boarding school which was mentioned in pasting in The Wide Window, Prufrock Preparatory. And, while the three make new friends within Duncan and Isobel Quagmire, this don't mean their lives turn for the better. They are forced to sleep in a shed, with crabs, weird fungus and hideous wallpaper. There's a bully of a vice-principal and a bully for a class mate. And, of course, Count Olaf in disguise, after the Baudelaire fortune... 

This is a weird one for me. I have faults with it - it's repeating the same pattern as the previous books in the series (and while that's ok, I wish there was more) and the story feels a bit flat with some characters. 

However, this seems to be the book that really starts the series off. We met characters - Isobel and Duncan Quagmire - who seem to be in the same situation as Violet, Klaus and Sunny - and I liked reading them. Plus, it's these two characters who give an important piece of information that will now be the driving force to the series, I hope. 

This was a fast read (I read this over two days - Good Friday and Easter Saturday. Well, I had to read something to get over the shock/despair my heart was feeling after reading Half Lost!) and I think because I am much older than this series's target audience, if that's why I am reacting the way I am to it. I sped through and then find things that bother me when, I know, that if I discovered this when I was eight or ten years old, I would have devoured it! 

But am going to keep going with this series. Why not? I'm in this far! Ok, onto book six, The Ersatz Elevator!

Book Review - Half Lost

As you guys are probably aware, I fell in love with this series last year. I became a little obsessed with it and, because I binge read the first 2 books and one eNovella, I fell into a book slump. So, yes... I had to get my hands on this, the final book in the series. I HAD TO!!! I was going to buy it, hunt it down and panic read. So, when the lovely Megan from Reading Away The Days tweeted that she had a copy and wanted to give it to someone, George of George Lester fame suggested me and I went on full on "I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER IF YOU GIVE ME THIS BOOK!" tweets. So, my huge thanks to George for suggesting me and a big thank you hug to Megan who I have probably scared with my tweets (and me asking questions about Sookie Stackhouse - it's a series I dip in and out of that I really want to investigate and read!)

After the devastating events at the end of Half Wild, Nathan is running again. The Alliance of Free Witches has all but been destroyed, but they have a plan. They need Nathan to go talk to a witch called Ledger to get half of something that could help me take down Soul and his Council.

But war is war. And not everyone will survive.

I shouldn't have read this so soon after Frail Human Heart by Zoe Marriott. Reading two books which are the end of trilogies I love is too much for my poor heart.

But Half Lost. Ok, am saying this right now, but this book destroyed me. I forgot how much I love Sally Green's writing and I forgot how quickly I fell into this world. I had to force myself to read slow so I didn't power-read it! And this book... oh, this book did feels to my poor heart. It's a breathless read and there were moments I was holding my breath. Or moments where I was going "Nonononono!!!". (George knows this as I was DMing him on Twitter after I finished the book, SCREAMING IN CAP LOCK!!!)

There are some trilogies out there (am not going to name names) that should look at Half Lost as THIS is how you end a trilogy. This book gets it right on the money. I trust Sally Green (as you should with any author whose book you are reading - otherwise, why are you reading the book?) and Sally wrote Nathan's story her way - unflinching and never afraid to take the tough route - and I love her for that. I love how the book is raw, dark unflinching but has moments of softness, kindness and love (only to rip these moments into tiny pieces in front of your very eyes...)

This series is definitely a marmite read - you are either going to love it or you are going to hate it. I love it and I am already itching to reread the whole trilogy again. And I am watching Sally's Twitter feed for any news on her next project. But this trilogy... wow. Just wow.