I hate reading scary books – I get terrified by them! So I thought I would put together a video full of books that are perfect to read at Halloween if you’re like me and get frightened easily. There are creepy inns, haunting pictures, and dead bodies! Enjoy!
Books Mentioned:
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – With pictures to help tell the story, now is the perfect time to read it as the film is released in 2016.
Glimpse by Kendra Leighton – Based on one of my favourite poems by Alfred Noyes, Glimpse is about a girl who has lost her memories and a boy that haunts her in her dreams.
Dead Romantic by C.J. Skuse – In this hilarious novel, two girls set out to create the perfect boy from body parts that they collect. Think Frankenstein for a teen audience.
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson – One of my favourite books of the year, The Name of the Star explores what would happen if the Jack the Ripper murders started happening all over London again with a supernatural twist.
So you may be new to reading YA, or just looking for some awesome book recommendations… Today I’m going to help you add LOTS and LOTS of books to your TBR piles!
Undone by Cat Clarke will give you ALL THE FEELS. It made me cry so much and I loved every single second of reading it. It’s a must have on your shelf because it has LGBT themes, deals with grief and loss, and also has a brilliant plot!
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is a favourite YA book of mine because I read it right when I was getting serious about reading YA. It’s about werewolves which may seem cheesy after Twilight but it’s such a refreshing urban fantasy novel that you can become invested in easily.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor has SO many fans. I still haven’t read the second or third books in the trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first instalment when I read it a few years ago. It’s completely unpredictable so it’s a very exciting reading experience!
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson is one of my favourite books of 2015 so far and is about imitations of the Jack the Ripper murders happening in London. Rory, the main character, is American and starts at a boarding school in London just as the murders start to happen. I LOVE this series a lot and can’t stop recommending it! SO, SO fantastic!
Trouble by Non Pratt is about teenage pregnancy and it’s written perfectly. I enjoyed it so much and can’t wait to read Non’s next book, Remix, as I loved Trouble so much.
We Were Liars….It really is best to lie about this book because the least you know about it the better! It took the book world by storm last year, and I still can’t believe the shock ending! I really didn’t expect it at all.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is one of my all-time favourite books and perfect for people who love sites like Tumblr and are involved in Internet culture. It’s about a girl called Cath who, alongside her twin sister, is starting college. Cath writes fan fiction on a book series very similar to Harry Potter!
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a favourite fantasy book of mine and centres around Celaena Sardothien, an assassin who is chosen by the prince to enter a competition to become the King’s Assassin. READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!
Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper is hilarious and is a relatively short book too! It’s very true to a British teenager’s life and I adored it.
Every Day by David Levithan tells the story of A, a person who wakes up in a different body each day but, one day, A finds that there’s someone they just can’t let go of. It’s unique and David Levithan writes so beautifully.
Which books would you add to my list? Have you read any of these?
I really wish The Key to the Golden Firebird had not sat on my TBR pile so long, collecting dust and sobbing to itself because it still hasn’t been read. In other words: I wish I had read this book sooner. Ditto to the rest of Maureen Johnson’s books.
When their father dies, the Gold sisters’ lives change irrevocably. The Key to the Golden Firebird follows the lives of May, Brooks and Palmer after the months following their father’s death. Brooks is on a slippery slope, falling apart inside; Palmer has changed a lot; and all May wants to do is keep the family together and pass her driving test.
I love how the novel followed the lives of all three girls and was written in third person to make this a lot easier. I wasn’t expecting it so it was a nice surprise and I grew to love all three of them. They all had their individual personalities and they all felt separate from each other: one of the things I was most worried about was whether I would be able to distinguish a difference between the three.
May was very much the character we saw the most out of the three. She is the middle sister, but she’s the one holding the fragile pieces of her family together. Their mother works nights and May has to work to bring some income into the family, both her other sisters being busy with softball practice. I loved reading about her relationship with Pete as it grew because it turned out to be so cute and sweet. I love relationships that come from nowhere and then blossom.
I could understand Brooks so well. Okay, so maybe not the whole drinking and going off the rails part, but I know how grief can change you and how you may want to feel different or act out. For me, when dealing with grief, I went into my little shell and didn’t want to come out. For Brooks, it was the complete opposite. Throughout her acting out, I still felt like we got to know the real her and Johnson has written her character so well and so deeply.
I had a really big soft spot for Palmer. She was kind of ignored by everyone and I just wanted to give her a big hug. Of the three sisters, I felt like Palmer matured the most throughout the book and I loved the few chapters towards the end of the book when we really saw her merge from her shell and do something out of character. I want her to be my sister!
There’s not one main plot you can pinpoint throughout the book but instead it mainly deals with the Gold family dealing with the unexpected death. There are lots of different, smaller plots though and there aren’t any bored moments where you can’t be bothered to read anymore because nothing is going on.
I loved the normality of The Key to the Golden Firebird and how I could imagine myself as anyone of the characters and feel very happy. Johnson deals with the subject of death in an emotional but realistic way, whilst creating a world I want to be a part of.
Letterbox Love is a UK based feature where book bloggers showcase the books that they received that week, be they e-books, paperbacks, hardbacks or any other format. It is hosted by Lynsey from Narratively Speaking.
I’m going to tell you a story. Are you sitting comfortably? This week I didn’t get any books at all and I was really proud of myself and so happy. That is until today when I went into my town and bought nine books. Yes, I know! Don’t look at me like that! I’m addicted, okay? *scurries away*
Bought
The first place I stopped was WH Smiths where I bought the Frostbite and Shadow Kiss by Rochelle Mead, the second and third books in the series. I liked the first book but didn’t love it so I’m hoping that they’ll get better as the series go on. I’m not a huge fan of the new covers but they are growing on me. The final book I bought in the shop was Gone by Michael Grant, which has been recommended to me a number of times and it’s such a well-known book that I can’t not read it.
I then stopped by good ol’ Waterstones and picked up Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. This was recommended to my ages ago – so long ago that I can’t remember the person who told me to read it – and I’ve finally bought it. I’m always in the mood for a good contemporary book, and this certainly looks promising. Because I loved The Key to the Golden Firebird so much, I decided to buy Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson. I’ll read anything that Hot Key publish and I’m jumping up and down just thinking about starting this one. Finally, I bought Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher because it’s a book that frequently comes up at the book club I run and so I thought I’d join in on the conversation too.
My final stop was at The Works. If you don’t know what The Works is, it’s a crafty, bookish, random shop that sells everything really cheaply. One of the deals they have is 3 books for £5 so I obviously took advantage of this and came out with these brilliant books. The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa is a series of novellas set in between each book and I’m really looking forward to diving back into the world once more. Maria V. Snyder’s Touch of Power has a very interesting premise, and do I need to say anything about Stardust by Neil Gaiman? I can’t wait to read all three.
What did you haul this week? Link me to your own posts or let me know below!
It’s December! I love the Christmas atmosphere of this month – we can finally open our advent calendars, put up our Christmas trees and spread the festive spirit! I’m feeling particularly cheery this year and have a few Christmas posts planned for this month, which I’m really looking forward to writing. A very exciting month ahead!
November was as exciting as I’m hoping December will be and I managed to get a lot read. Woo! I’ve been in a reading slump since the start of September so I’m glad that I’ve finally broken it and I’m getting back into the swing of finding time each day to read. I’m trying to set twenty minutes aside each day to read and this has really helped me feel a lot better and also get a lot more read.
The books I read in November were:
The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson, The Isobel Journal by Isobel Harrop, Storm and Stone by Joss Stirling, When It Happens by Susane Colasanti, Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider.
Choosing a book of the month is going to be very hard, because all of them were so good!
I’m going to have to choose The Darkest Minds because I was totally hooked, and also The Isobel Journal because it’s a favourite of mine now. They’re both completely different, so it’s nice to see a variation in what I’m reading.
Things of note that happened in November:
– I did NaNoWriMo, and then stopped at 12,000 words! You may think that I failed and I know people have been asking me why I stopped and the reason I did stop was because I didn’t feel like I needed to go on. I wasn’t trying to reach 50,000 words this month, although that would have been amazing. Instead I wanted to get something written. So I don’t think I failed and I’m very proud of myself for writing so much in such a short space of time: I think I wrote it in around 5 days.
– I went ice skating! I went with a few of my friends to an ice rink close to me which has been put up for the holiday season and I had so much fun. I’ve always loved ice skating and actually didn’t fall over! I’m hoping to go a few more times in the coming weeks because I realised just how much I enjoy it. I loved watching Dancing on Ice when I was younger and am in awe of the people who can do all those moves and not fall over! I’m so clumsy!
– I went to laser quest, and I failed. It was my friend’s birthday and thirteen of us went. It was lots of fun, but I came 11th. I obviously didn’t channel my inner Katniss Everdeen enough. Maybe next time!
December Goals:
Books I’m Hoping To Read in December:
Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle – I’m planning to read this a few days before Christmas, and I am so excited. I’ve heard amazing things about it and it certainly looks promising. I can’t wait!
Memory by Christoph Marzi – This is a review book I have and I love the sound of it. I’m not sure if I’ve read anything similar to it before so I’m looking forward to reading something a bit different.
Della says: OMG! by Keris Stainton – Eeeep! I’m a huge fan of Keris’ books and this is the only one I haven’t read. It sounds fab!
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff – I’m super nervous about starting this because there’s so much hype, and there’s even more now that it has been translated onto the big screen. I’m really looking forward to it, though.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold – I thought it was finally time I gave this a go. I’ve read the first chapter or two and I enjoyed it, so hopefully the rest will be just as good.
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian – My friend recently read this so I thought I’d give it a go too and it sounds absolutely amazing. Can’t wait!
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – This has been likened to Ally Carter’s books, which I loved, so I feel super excited to start it. It sounds so kick ass! It’s also a review book, so expect a review sometime soon!
The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher – I was at the launch in October and really enjoyed the part that Lucy read out, so I can’t wait to read the whole book. Another review book!
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales – One that I’ve heard amazing things about and I know I’ll completely adore it, because I don’t think I know of anyone who hasn’t. Yay! Another review book!
Legend by Marie Lu – This sounds awesome and I have a gorgeous hardback copy which just adds to the reading experience. I’ve heard amazing things about it and so I’m keeping my fingers crossed I enjoy it.
Allegiant by Veronica Roth – I decided that if I didn’t read it now I would just keep putting it off, so here we are! I have no idea what I’ll think of it, but lets hope I think positive things!
Other Goals:
– I’m hoping to get a lot of posts out this month because I’ve been neglecting the blog a lot lately. I have loads of ideas so I just need to get on and write the posts now!
– Enjoy myself! This is something I really need to focus on because I’ve been feeling like blogging is a huge pressure for ages now. I just want to relax and have fun.
How was your November? Have you set yourself any goals for December? Let me know!
Letterbox Love is a UK based feature where book bloggers showcase the books that they received that week, be they e-books, paperbacks, hardbacks or any other format. It is hosted by Lynsey from Narratively Speaking.
I’ve got such a big haul to share with you this week! I bought an awful lot, but I’m really pleased with everything I got.
BOOKS MENTIONED:
Freaks by Lisa M. Forester Storm and Stone by Joss Stirling Wither by Lauren DeStefano Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle Allegiant by Veronica Roth Shattered Dreams by Ellie James Hidden Among Us by Katy Moran The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Legend by Marie Lu Jude the Obscure & Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
What did you get this week? Leave a link to your own book hauls!
Letterbox Love is a UK based feature where book bloggers showcase the books that they received that week, be they e-books, paperbacks, hardbacks or any other format. It is hosted by Lynsey from Narratively Speaking.
This is a manic, packed haul today from last week which was Bath Kids Lit Fest. I’ve tried to put piles into some order, so I hope it’s clear!
Signed:
Noughts and Crosses and Checkmate by Malorie Blackman – I still need to read Checkmate but I loved Noughts and Crosses. I read it when I was just starting to seriously get into YA and so it means quite a lot to me.
