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#readukya – January Titles

I have been planning and scheming away for months, and I’m so pleased that my plan can now come into fruition!

#readukya is going to be an online, interactive book club, bringing together the best of UK and Irish authors, bloggers, booktubers, librarians and booksellers. Starting in January, two books will be picked each month and a liveshow and Twitter chat at the end of the month will discuss the two chosen books.

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January’s theme: Love and War

The first book chosen is Vendetta by Catherine Doyle, a spell-binding romance similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. To put it simply, it’s Romeo and Juliet meets the Mafia.

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When it comes to revenge, love is a dangerous complication.With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.

When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion in her neighbourhood, Sophie Gracewell’s life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling into a criminal underworld governed by powerful families. As the boys’ dark secrets begin to come to light, Sophie is confronted with stinging truths about her own family, too. She must choose between two warring dynasties – the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break.

Book Two: Night School by C.J. Daugherty

Night School is the phenomenal first instalment in a major globally recognised series by C.J. Daugherty. This is a chance to catch up on the series if you haven’t read them yet, or re-read an old favourite, especially as the last book in the series is released in the summer.

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Allie Sheridan’s world is falling apart. Her brother’s run away from home. Her parents ignore her. And she’s just been arrested.
Again.
This time her parents have had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to boarding school, far from her London friends.
But at Cimmeria Academy, Allie is soon caught up in the strange activities of a secret group of elite students.
When she’s attacked late one night the incident sets off a chain of increasingly violent events. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, she finds out that nothing at Cimmeria is what it seems to be.
And that she is not who she thought she was.

If you’re interested in helping to host the liveshow at the end of January, you can contact me @LucyTheReader on Twitter or at contemporaryqueen@outlook.com via email to discuss. This would be a huge help, and lots of fun too! 

Will you be joining in?

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My Favourite Books of 2014

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Whilst I definitely didn’t read as much as I usually do in 2014, there were many amazing books that I did read. This year has felt like one massive reading slump, but each of the books featured on this list captured my heart and I’ve been recommending them non-stop since reading them.

Vendetta by Catherine Doyle

Out on 1st January, this is the most recent edition to my list. Vendetta is Catherine Doyle’s debut novel and I’ve read many books by well-established authors that I didn’t love half as much as I loved Vendetta! It’s thrilling and adventurous – I couldn’t put it down!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I love all of Rainbow Rowell’s books so I couldn’t miss Landline out of my list! I read it at a very special time and all of Rainbow Rowell’s books are like a big, warm hug. It’s hard not to fall in love with every word!

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

I am OBSESSED with this series! I’ve started to watch the TV series, but I much prefer the books. I’ve now read the second and third books, which I loved even more. Incredible!

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper

Candy Harper never fails to make me laugh. I read the two Faith books earlier in the year and I love them! They’re the funniest books I’ve read in a long time and so easy to read. I’d recommend them to anyone!

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Starring Kitty by Keris Stainton

Wow! This book amazed me when I read it – it has LGBT, feminism and diverse characters. I fell head over heels in love with it!

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

I don’t think I’ve spoken about The Virgin Suicides on the blog yet, but I have a few times on my YouTube channel. Whilst it’s primarily targeted at adults, I think this book has a huge crossover appeal and I’d love to see more teenagers reading it. It’s a haunting read that will stay with you for a long time after you’ve finished it.

Winger by Andrew Smith 

Winger is a truly original novel that portrays teenage life and experience perfectly. It even has cartoon images that I adored when reading it! READ IT, READ IT, READ IT.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Although this book is hated by many, I was one of the people who loved it. Even though it was written over 60 years ago, it’s still very current a bookish rite of passage! Definitely worth reading at least once during your lifetime.

Trouble by Non Pratt

Trouble is a brilliant book all about teenage pregnancy! Non isn’t afraid to tackle subjects that many authors shy away from and I can’t wait to read more from her in 2015!

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

And now for my favourite book of the year… Solitaire! My review of Solitaire is the easiest review I’ve ever written and I will not rest until I get everyone to read it. It’s phenomenal and I haven’t seen a bad review for it in the five or so months since its release.

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My Christmas List

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There are many things I’d like to get for Christmas, including…

AN END TO INSTALOVE

I’m sure most of us are incredibly fed up of reading the same romance churned out over and over again in twenty billion different novels. DOWN WITH INSTALOVE!

THE ABILITY TO READ MULTIPLE BOOKS AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME

This would be so, so handy and it would also mean that my TBR pile would be a lot smaller! Can I have magical powers please?

A MACHINE THAT BRINGS BOOK CHARACTERS TO LIFE

I’m pretty sure every book lover would kill for one of these – I know I would! There are so many characters I’d bring to life… but I’ll save that for a future blog post!

A BIG CITY FOR THE WHOLE BOOKISH COMMUNITY

I’d love to live in a city where just bloggers, booktubers, authors and publishers lived. How cool would that be?! You’d certainly never have to worry about running out of books!

What would be on your imaginary Christmas wishlist?

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Welcome to Blogmas 2014!

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Welcome to Blogmas 2014 on Queen of Contemporary!

For the next 25 days, I shall be posting a new blog post – it’s a bit like a bookish advent calendar!

I’m a bit of a naughty girl for taking on way too much than I can handle, but I have so many ideas for posts that I’ve wanted to do for ages, and I think now is the perfect opportunity to get those ideas from my head on to the Internet!

I really hope you enjoy the posts!

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REVIEW: My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins

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I was incredibly excited when a copy of My True Love Gave to Me popped through my door. Firstly because the cover that greets you is beautiful and secondly due to the amazing authors whose short stories are included.

Edited by Stephanie Perkins (author of Anna and the French Kiss), My True Love Gave to Me is a festive-themed anthology, featuring short stories written by authors such as Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor and David Levithan. Each story is uniquely tailored to the author’s individual style so whilst they may not be writing in their usual style, their original stamp is still evident.

The stories all fit well together and stood out on their own. I think there’s a distinct lack of Christmas novels, and what sets My True Love Gave to Me apart is that it is a combination of lots of different traditions and customs. I loved reading about each one because each story offered something different.IMG_0353

My favourite story by far was Stephanie Perkins’, which I will be reading over and over again. It touched my heart! Other notable favourites include Jenny Han’s, Kelly Link’s and Ally Carter’s.

I think, though, that the story that wowed me the most was the one written by Laini Taylor because it was so different to everything else in the anthology. Taylor created a whole new world in just under 50 pages, which is an incredible talented thing to be able to do. I want more and more of her story!

I have no doubt that many people will buy My True Love Gave to Me solely based on the design. It has a cover I could marry, a beautiful built-in bookmark, and the most gorgeous endpapers I’ve ever seen. Each chapter header also has a different graphic – a brilliant inclusion!

My True Love Gave to Me really got me in the holiday spirit, and I especially loved the sharing of different customs – pagan, Jewish and Christian, to name a few. There’s something for everyone to enjoy!

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Lucy Recommends... Uncategorized

Lucy Recommends… [4] – Big Books

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Lucy Recommends is a feature where I use all of my persuasive techniques to make you buy the best books around, whether it be by genre, author or series.

This time I’m going to talk about BIG BOOKS. I’m not exactly one to read lots and lots of big books, but there are a few I’ve really enjoyed. I consider a big book to be over 400 pages…

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Diving straight into the deep end, it’s no surprise that I’m featuring A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin on a list of ‘big books.’ It took me over a month to read but because of its size it meant that it was very easy to absorb everything about the world of Westeros. You can read my full review here.

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Undone by Cat Clarke is incredible. Telling the story of a girl out to get revenge for the death of her best friend, it’s enthralling and unputdownable. It was the first of Cat’s books I read, and has me craving to read more. Even more than a year after reading, it’s still fresh in my mind.

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Winger is one of my favourite books of the year so far. When I first looked at it, I was intimidated by its size but it hooked me right away and the inclusion of comic strip-style graphics means that the time reading goes very quickly. Winger is centered around a boy called Ryan Dean who goes to an exclusive boarding school in the US. It’s about the trials and tribulations of being a teenager, told in a realistic manner. Very highly recommended!

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Soulmates is a breath-taking romance novel, taking the term ‘soulmates’ to an extreme. What happens if you finally find that person you’re meant to be with forever, but it has horrifying effects? This is what happens when Poppy meets Noah. Once a cynic, meeting Noah changes more than just her belief in love… I loved Soulmates when I read it and it’s a book I could re-read over and over again. I know so many people who have loved it, and Holly definitely isn’t without her fans! A phenomenal debut novel.

Do you like reading ‘big’ books? Which ones are your favourites?

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Reading Habits: Acknowledegments

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I have a bit of an unusual habit, and I know I’m not the only one: I can’t stop reading the acknowledgements in books.

Whenever I go into a bookshop and pick up a book, I can’t resist but take a peek at the acknowledgements and I get very confused if they’re not situated in the back. They just don’t feel right to me if they’re in the front!

I look for familiar names and interesting stories in them. Even if I don’t know the people named, I love seeing an insight into the author’s life and every single person who helped to make that book a tangible thing.

God forbid I find a book that doesn’t have any acknowledgements at all! I get so, so disappointed by it. The acknowledgements make the book and I feel as if part of the soul of a book is missing. Like I said, I’m a bit unusual!

Do you like reading the acknowledgements in books, or am I alone in this habit? Let me know!

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Queen of Contemporary Census

Hello everybody! In the next few months, Queen of Contemporary will be changing a lot, and I’m really looking forward to trying out lots more exciting projects. Your opinions mean the world to me and I also want to get to know you more, so I’ve created a census to find out just who is reading this blog, and it will mean a much happier reading experience for everybody.

If you’ve clicked on this post, it would be lovely if you could fill out the census! Even if you only fill out the required questions, it would be a massive help.

Answering every question isn’t necessary, but the more you answer, the more accurate the overall results will be!

Thank you!

Lucy xx