Author: Ali@abookishlife

Teaser Tuesday: 7th June 2016

Ali@abookishlife14 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of Books and a Beat.

TeaserThis week my teaser comes from Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan which I received as an ARC from NetGalley. It’s a mystery/thriller about a kidnapping and, while I’m only about 15% in, I have a really good feeling about it. I’m totally hooked and don’t want to stop reading which is definitely a good sign.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

Dear AmyMargot Lewis is the agony aunt for The Cambridge Examiner. Her advice column, Dear Amy, gets all kinds of letters – but none like the one she’s just received:

Dear Amy,
I don’t know where I am. I’ve been kidnapped and am being held prisoner by a strange man. I’m afraid he’ll kill me.
Please help me soon,
Bethan Avery

Bethan Avery has been missing for years. This is surely some cruel hoax. But, as more letters arrive, they contain information that was never made public. How is this happening? Answering this question will cost Margot everything . . .

My Teaser

Don’t let anyone tell you that the gold standard of feeling old is when the police and doctors seem younger than you. It’s the librarians that will get you every time.

~ location 419, Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan

Happy reading everyone.

WWW Wednesday: 1st June 2016

Ali@abookishlife17 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

The WWW Wednesdays meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

WWW Wednesday

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I can’t believe it’s the 1st June already. The good thing about that is we’re finally getting our week of Summer here in Scotland so the weather haAmber Smoke (The Escaped #1)s been perfect for lying out in the garden with a book.

I’m still trying to make some progress through my ARC’s from NetGalley so I’m currently reading Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast. I have to admit I ordered this because the name of the author sounded vaguely familiar which is possibly not the best strategy for choosing books but never mind. I’ve only read a couple of chapters so far and it seems to be about the son of the Furies who is sent to catch some souls that have escaped from Tartarus. I’ve always been fascinated by mythology but at the moment I’m not overly optimiGrave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3)stic about this book. It doesn’t seem to get the best reviews.

On audio, I’ve managed to get Grave Peril by Jim Butcher back out from the library. It’s the third in the Dresden Files series which is about a magician/private investigator. I was around a third through when it returned itself a month or so ago so I’m struggling to remember what had been happening. I may have to start from the beginning again.

Recently Finished

As the weather has been so good over the last week and it was a holiday weekend I managed to get quite a bit of reading done and finished a few books.

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love StoriesThe first book finished was Summer Days and Summer Nights which is a collection of YA short stories edited by  Stephanie Perkins all with a summer love theme. I had this on my Amazon wish list as I’d enjoyed Stephanie Perkins previous collection My True Love Gave To Me so I was very happy when it popped up on NetGalley and I was approved. Like the previous collection this one is very good and includes a mix of stories from some of my favourite authors and some new ones. You can read my full review and a quick rundown of each story here.

The second book finished, Sweet Resolve by Jill Sanders, was also an ARC from NetGalley. Unfortunately it was not a book that worked for me as I did not like the main character and there were a few things I really disagreed with. I don’t think I’m going to post a review here as I’m struggling not to go off on a mad rant so I’The Girl In The Ice (DCI Erika Foster, #1)ll stick with just a GoodReads review.

After Sweet Resolve I was in the mood for something considerably darker so picked up The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza. This had been on my reading next list for a while and I’m so glad I finally managed to read it. It’s a police procedural and the first in the DCI Erika Foster series. I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend to anyone who likes story about the hunt for a serial killer. There is the odd detective story cliché but in a good way. What I loved most however was the diverse cast of characters. Hopefully I’ll gThe Night Stalker (DCI Erika Foster, #2)et a review up soon.

When I finished, I couldn’t resist moving straight on to the next book in the series, The Night Stalker which is another hunt for a serial killer story but is less of a whodunit. I actually liked this one more than The Girl in the Ice partly I think because I already knew and liked the characters. It was good to get a bit more information on some of the secondary characters and see a bit more development. The ending did make me exceptionally angry so I do want to read the next one now.

Rumpelstiltskin (Timeless Fairy Tales, #4)I was finishing off a team challenge this week so I also managed to sneak in a couple of re reads during the weekend. I was looking for something light and enjoyable so went for Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin by K.M. Shea. As you can probably guess from the titles they are re tellings of fairy tales. I’m a big fan of K.M. Shea books. They could do with a bit of a proof read but I like the take no nonsense heroines and the humour.

The final book finished this week was my audio, At Graves End by Jeaniene Frost. This was the third in the Night Huntress series about a half vampire who hunts evil vampires and other creatures. I lost concentration a little part way through this so didn’t enjoy quite as much as previous ones.

Reading Next

I have the most ridiculous to read pile at the moment as I went a bit nuts on both NetGalley and at the library. I think I have about 20 books I’m supposed to read over the next three weeks which is unlikely to be achievable even with the best of intentions. I think the most likely upcoming reads will be ARC’s The Paris Secret by Karen Swan and Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan. I am however still keen to read The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness and Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare which I have from the library. Decisions, decisions 🙂

The Paris SecretThe Rest of Us Just Live HereDear AmyLady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, #1)

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Teaser Tuesday: 31st May 2016

Ali@abookishlife18 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of Books and a Beat.

TeaserThis week my teaser comes from The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza which I received as an ARC from NetGalley. This is the second in the DCI Erika Foster series which I have to say I’m really enjoying at the moment. I liked the previous book, The Girl in the Ice, a lot but I think this one is actually better.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)The Night Stalker (DCI Erika Foster, #2)

If the Night Stalker is watching, you’re already dead…

In the dead of a swelteringly hot summer’s night, Detective Erika Foster is called to a murder scene. The victim, a doctor, is found suffocated in bed. His wrists are bound and his eyes bulging through a clear plastic bag tied tight over his head.

A few days later, another victim is found dead, in exactly the same circumstances. As Erika and her team start digging deeper, they discover a calculated serial killer – stalking their victims before choosing the right moment to strike.

The victims are all single men, with very private lives. Why are their pasts shrouded in secrecy? And what links them to the killer?

As a heat wave descends upon London, Erika will do everything to stop the Night Stalker before the body count rises, even if it means risking her job. But the victims might not be the only ones being watched… Erika’s own life could be on the line.

My Teaser

‘How predictable. What a cliché. The damaged female DCI, too busy for anyone but her work,’ said Stephen, still typing.

~ 21%, The Night Stalker – Robert Bryndza

Don’t have nightmares 🙂 (sorry there’s a crimewatch reconstruction so I couldn’t resist)

Happy reading everyone.

Book Review: Summer Days & Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins

Ali@abookishlife9 Comments

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love StoriesSummer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m generally not a fan of short stories but having previously read My True Love Gave To Me, which was also edited by Stephanie Perkins, and really enjoying it I couldn’t resist this new Summer themed collection of YA love stories. While I am a little disappointed there’s no Rainbow Rowell this time around I was very excited to see Leigh Bardugo features as well as a few of my other favourite authors.

There’s such a great mix of authors and genres in this collection it’s pretty much guaranteed that everyone will find a story they love. Here’s what I thought of each of the stories.Read More »

WWW Wednesday: 25th May 2016

Ali@abookishlife24 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

The WWW Wednesdays meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

WWW Wednesday

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I may have gotten a little bit carried away on NetGalley last week and requested a few more books than I really should have so I’m currently reading two books at the moment.Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories

The first is Summer Days and Summer Nights which is a collection of YA short stories edited by  Stephanie Perkins all with a summer love theme. I have a bit of a tendency to avoid short stories but I thought the previous anthology by Stephanie, My True Love Gave to Me, had some fantastically good stories so I couldn’t resist. There’s a great mix of genres and the authors include some of my favourites such as Cassandra Clare, Veronica Roth and Leigh Bardugo. There are also a lot of new to me authors so no doubt by the time I finish my TBR pile will be a lot bigger.

Sweet Resolve (Lucky, Book #2)The second book I’m reading is another ARC, Sweet Resolve by Jill Sanders. I’m around a third of the way through and so far it’s ok, not bad, not good. I like a good romance novel every now and then as a bit of light relief but I’m not finding anything particularly special about this one. Hopefully it’ll pick up.

On audio, I’m still listening to At Graves End by Jeaniene Frost which is the third book in the Night Huntress series. I am enjoying it, some of the dialogue is hilarious, but I haven’t been driving as much so I haven’t had as much time to listen to it.

Recently Finished

I was taking part in a readathon over the weekend so I was doing a lot of reading. This was helped by a very cold and wet Saturday which discouraged me from leaving the house and a hot and sunny Sunday which meant lying outside in the sun.Us (Him #2) Typical Scottish weather 🙂

First book finished was Us by Sabrina Bowen and Elle Kennedy which was the follow up to M/M romance Him. I thought it was a little bit slow to get going but once I hit around the 30% mark I was completely hooked and ended up squeezing in some reading at every possible opportunity (including at 4am in the morning when I couldn’t sleep). I think the highlight was new character Blake who stole pretty much every scene he was in.

Next up was one of the books from my reading next list The Problem with Forever(it does happen occasionally),  The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L Armentrout. It’s a young adult contemporary story about a girl, Mallory, who due to an abusive background doesn’t like to speak. After being rehomed and a lot of therapy she decides she’s ready for public school but when she gets there she meets a boy from her past.

This was my first book from this author and I thought the plot was fascinating. It makes a nice change to have a main character who isn’t super confident or popular and is actually scared of everything. Unfortunately I just didn’t get the feels but I suspect that’s just me. I can be a bit funny about YA contemporary. You can read my full review here.The Crown (The Selection, #5)

The next book finished this week was The Crown by Kiera Cass. This was another NetGalley request that I was so happy to get approved. The Crown is the fifth and final book in the Selection series and I’d been anxiously awaiting it’s release since I read The Heir a month or so ago. I think it’s probably the best book in the series and a fitting ending. You can read my full review (with relatively few spoilers) here.

Reading Next

This coming weekend is a holiday weekend here so I’m hoping to read a few books and maybe get caught up on my reviews.

I’ve had the The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza on my reading next list for about the last three weeks so I think it should probably be first. I’ve been putting it off for far too long and for no other reason than I haven’t really been in the mood for crime. If it goes well though I’ll probably continue on and read the next book in the series, The Night Stalker.

After that it will probably be a choice between The Paris Secret by Karen Swan or The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. Very different books but both by authors I love so it will no doubt come down to what mood I’m in 🙂

The Girl In The Ice (DCI Erika Foster, #1)The Night Stalker (DCI Erika Foster, #2)The Paris SecretThe Rest of Us Just Live Here

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Teaser Tuesday: 24th May 2016

Ali@abookishlife18 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of Books and a Beat.

TeaserThis week I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of Summer Days and Summer Nights from NetGalley. It’s a collection of twelve YA short stories with a bit of a summer romance theme. It’s edited by Stephanie Perkins and includes stories by a few of my favourite authors (Leigh Bardugo, Veronica Roth, Nina LaCour, Cassandra Clare) as well as some authors I haven’t come across. I’m generally not a fan of short stories but I’m really enjoying this collection.

My Teaser

On the Upper West Side, above the bakeries and delicatessens, the Woolworth’s and the Red Apple market, people slept on top of their sheets, sucked on handkerchiefs full of crushed ice, and opened their windows wide, praying for a breeze. That was why, when the Hudson leaped it’s banks and went looking for trouble on a hot July night, the river found Ruth Blonsky’s window wedged open with a dented Candie’s shoe box.

~ location 62, Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by Leigh Bardugo

Happy reading everyone.

3 Days 3 Quotes: Day 3

Ali@abookishlife2 Comments

I was tagged by the awesome Liam at Hey Ashers! to take part in the 3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge. Thanks so much Liam, I love quotes so this tag is perfect for me.

The rules are:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you
  2. Post a quote for three consecutive days
  3. Nominate three new bloggers each day

This is the third and final day of my love and romance themed 3 days 3 quotes so I had to go with a quote from one of my favourite writers, Cassandra Clare. I always find myself highlighting huge chunks of her books on my e reader.

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)Day 3, Quote 3:

“There is no pretending,” Jace said with absolute clarity. “I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there is life after that, I’ll love you then”

– City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

So the final three totally awesome blogs I’m tagging are

  1. Laurel-Rain Snow at Curl Up and Read
  2. The Book Haunt
  3. Donna at Chocolatenwaffles’ blog

I hope you enjoy but feel free to pass

Ali x

Book Review: The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

The Problem with ForeverThe Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Liked this book a lot but didn’t get the feels I was hoping for…sorry.

This was my first book by Jennifer L. Armentrout and having heard so many great things about her I wanted to love this so much. I haven’t always had the best relationship with YA contemporary stories but I thought for sure that this book would be packed full of emotion. Unfortunately however I just didn’t feel it.

It deals with some really difficult and uncomfortable issues and I think handles them in a responsible and very genuine way. While there is a lot going on, abuse, PTSD, drug dealing, loss and bullying it’s written in such a way as to make it seem very realistic (although I don’t have much experience of most of it).

Synopsis

Main character Mallory (aka Mouse) was raised in an abusive foster home where she learned that the best way to keep out of trouble is to keep out of sight and keep quiet. While it’s 4 years later and she’s in a new and supportive home and has had lots of counselling she still doesn’t like to talk and prefers to avoid notice. Having been home schooled for the past few years she decides it’s time to face her fears and go to school.

It comes as a big surprise though when she bumps into Rider, the boy who used to try to protect her and who she hasn’t seen since a terrible event set them on different paths. He resumes his role as her protector but they’re both older now and things have changed. They come from different worlds so despite their shared past they may not have a future.

Thoughts

It was definitely interesting reading a book with a main character like Mallory. I haven’t come across many books where the main character doesn’t say much and is afraid of pretty much everything. I felt so sorry for her but still occasionally found myself getting frustrated with her and just wishing she would speak up for herself rather than letting others push her around and make decisions for her. I loved how she developed over the course of the story but I also liked how there was no instant cure. The one part I could really relate to was the social anxiety, the fear of having to go into a big group of people, to have to stand up and speak in front of others and I thought the author portrayed this very well.

Rider was possibly the sweetest guy ever and I think I fell a little bit in love with him. He did have the bad boy thing going but his reaction in seeing Mallory and at a couple of other points did ever so slightly break my heart.

Where I think my issue lay, was the relationship between them. Yes it was quite sweet, but I didn’t feel any real spark between them and in a book where the relationship is the central part of the story that’s a problem. I didn’t feel myself rooting for them so while I kind of hoped they’d get together and sort everything out it wouldn’t have been the end of my world if they hadn’t.

My other main criticism is the length. At 480 pages it’s a little on the long side. If it had really grabbed me it wouldn’t have been an issue but for me it did feel long. The writing is good but I did find there was an over emphasis in getting the very positive message across. I’m a little older than the target audience and have become quite cynical and negative in my old age so maybe it’s just me and younger readers will find it more inspirational.

I think if you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover and Sarah Dessen this book will be perfect for you. However it wasn’t as good as I was hoping.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 Days 3 Quotes: Day 2

Ali@abookishlife2 Comments

I was tagged by the awesome Liam at Hey Ashers! to take part in the 3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge. Thanks so much Liam, I love quotes so this tag is perfect for me.

The rules are:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you
  2. Post a quote for three consecutive days
  3. Nominate three new bloggers each day

This is my second round of this tag and I’m going with a bit of a love and romance theme with my quotes. Today’s quote is from one of the greatest romances ever written and one of my favourite books.

The Princess Bride Day 2, Quote 2:

Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.

– The Princess Bride by William Golden

Today I’m tagging another three of my favourite blogs. There is a strong possibility you’ve already done this so feel free to pass.

  1. Shannon at Captivated by Fantasy
  2. Madeline at The SFF Bookshelf
  3. Yvo at It’s All About Books

Enjoy x

Book Review: The Crown by Kiera Cass

Ali@abookishlife8 Comments

The Crown (The Selection, #5)The Crown by Kiera Cass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fantastic ending to the series.

*Warning review may include spoilers for previous books in the series*

If anyone has read any of my other reviews of the Selection Series you’ll know that I’ve always had kind of mixed feelings about it. Of the original Selection trilogy I only really liked the first book in the series as the love triangle drove me slightly insane and I decided that America was possibly the most annoying character ever in the history of the world (ok I may be exaggerating)

I don’t know what convinced me to pick up The Heir (probably the cover) but I found in Eadlyn a much more likeable character (which wouldn’t be difficult) and I loved the flip to the other side of the Selection process. Although possibly I’m just fantasizing about having 35 eligible bachelors competing for my hand in marriage. I found myself completely addicted to the story and I think I read the whole book from start to finish in a few hours.

As it finished on a bit of a cliff hanger (grrr!) I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Crown. How would it all end? Would Eadlyn finally stop trying to be so perfect and turn into a real person? What would happen to America and Maxon? And, would Eadlyn find a husband from the remaining contenders or walk away from the whole thing?

I have to admit I was kind of hoping she wouldn’t pick anyone and do her own thing even though I know most people had their favourite SHIP.

Synopsis

The story picks up almost immediately after the Heir with everyone reeling from the big shock at the end. As the king and queen are unable to rule Eadlyn’s forced to temporarily step into the breach and act as monarch. Despite now ruling the country of Illea, having to deal with difficult advisors, keeping the country stable and proving that she is fit to rule, she decides to continue with the selection process in the hopes of garnering the support of her people.

She narrows the contestants down to six but as the country becomes more unsettled and her rule comes under threat she feels she has to choose quickly but the big question is who will she pick and will it be for love or duty?

Thoughts

I know a lot of reviews have been very critical of Eadlyn but in all honesty I like her a lot as a character and I found her story a lot more interesting and appealing than that of America. I like that she is quite reserved and finds it difficult to open up to people. Given her upbringing and the fact that she’s had it drilled into her since birth that she will be queen and will have to set an example, it’s pretty understandable. While she definitely worries too much about her clothes and what people think about her it’s all because she wants to do a good job and not let anyone down.

I will say that in the Heir she was a little annoying at times but she does definitely soften up a lot in this one particularly when it comes to her boys. She finally starts to open up to them and gets attached to each of them for different reasons although it didn’t feel like there was a lot of romance in the air (I suppose there was a lot of other stuff going on).

The six remaining contestants are possibly the sweetest guys ever and I also got very attached to all of them although it seemed like they were more friends to Eady than romantic interests. I kind of liked that there was a bit less romance in this book but it made it pretty much impossible to work out which way she would go and how it would all end.

In terms of who she eventually picks, I fully supported her choice. There had been hints of it coming throughout the Heir so while I did think her sudden realization was a bit too sudden (hinting around this is driving me nuts) I did believe it.

While overall I enjoyed the story it wasn’t perfect and there were a couple of things that niggled at me. I felt like there was a little bit of stereotyping going on, not enough development of some of the secondary characters and some slightly odd behaviour at times. Despite these niggles however I will say that Kiera Cass knows how to write and I found I couldn’t put it down. It’s easy and it’s completely addictive.

It would have been nice to get a bit more of an epilogue as I want to know where they all end up but I think it finished the series off really well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the book in exchange for an honest review. The Crown is available now.