Tag: reading

Review: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unsurprisingly this was an emotional read but what impressed me the most was the incredible detail that went into the world building. I loved how this made me think and how when I finished I wanted to rush out and live my life. Absolutely brilliant.

THE BLURB

When Mateo receives the dreaded call from Death-Cast, informing him that today will be his last, he doesn’t know where to begin. Quiet and shy, Mateo is devastated at the thought of leaving behind his hospitalised father, and his best friend and her baby girl. But he knows that he has to make the most of this day, it’s his last chance to get out there and make an impression.

Rufus is busy beating up his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend when he gets the call. Having lost his entire family, Rufus is no stranger to Death-Cast. Not that it makes it any easier. With bridges to mend, the police searching for him and the angry new boyfriend on his tail, it’s time to run.

Isolated and scared, the boys reach out to each other, and what follows is a day of living life to the full. Though neither of them had expected that this would involve falling in love…

Another beautiful, heartbreaking and life-affirming book from the brilliant Adam Silvera, author of More Happy Than Not and History Is All You Left Me.

MY REVIEW

Do you know what, I’m not sure that title was wise. This is an absolutely brilliant book but honestly I spent pretty much the whole time afraid to get too attached to Mateo or Rufus just in case they did in fact both die at the end. I kept hoping it wouldn’t happen, that they would be the exception, there was a mix up with the names and they received the call in error or that just by finding each other they’d save each other but just in case I kept myself that little bit detached. Consequently I think it lost that emotional punch I was expecting. It is still packed full of feels and some very touching moments but I was ready for out and out devastation.

It is an incredibly well written story and I really loved both Mateo and Rufus. Both are a little bit lost in the beginning but it was so wonderful to watch them develop over the course of the story. Mateo was probably the more relatable of the two, anxious and afraid to live (or leave his bedroom) in case he does something that results in the dreaded death cast call informing him he has less than 24 hours to live, I could see elements of myself in him. Wanting to go on adventures and be brave but just too scared and needing that little push. He was also just the nicest and sweetest guy. I really wanted him getting the call to be a mistake. Rufus took a little longer to warm up to, he’s beating someone up at the story, but you can’t help but grow to love him when he helps Mateo so much and starts becoming more like him.

The relationship between them is just so sweet and funny and wow. They begin the day as complete strangers and opposites but somehow they compliment and bring out the best in each other. Rufus encourages Mateo to be brave and break out and Mateo makes Rufus kinder and better…. oh god I’m gonna cry.

Anyway, moving swiftly on, I just loved their story but what made this even better was the little glimpses into the lives of others who cross their paths. The chapters more or less alternate between Mateo and Rufus’s povs but there are these other chapters thrown in from the pov of their friends, the people who make the calls to inform people they’re going to die that day, and others who have either received their call or just bump into Rufus or Mateo in some way. These gave such an insight into the world and raised so many questions I found it fascinating.

Actually the whole world just fascinated me. What would it be like to live in a world where everyone finds out between midnight and 3am whether they’re going to die that day? What would you do if you found out it was your day to die? Would you deny it, try to fight it? Would you accept it and try to make your last hours count? Take control and decide for yourself how you’re going to die? Or what if you don’t get the call? Does that mean you can’t die no matter what you do that day? Would you take more risks? It really makes you wonder about fate, self fulfilling prophecies and whether you have any control over your destiny.

The world the author creates and the way he presents all of these issues and questions was just brilliant. Such clever writing to create a world that’s so similar but so different in terms of attitudes to life and death. I think this is a story I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Overall an absolutely brilliant but emotional read.

WWW Wednesday: 18th January 2018

Ali@abookishlife42 Comments

The WWW Wednesday 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?

Currently ReadingThe Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1)

I started reading The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert at the weekend but haven’t had much reading time so not a huge amount of progress. What I have read I’ve been really enjoying, it’s a kind of Alice in Wonderland themed story so a little bit strange and confusing but in the best possible way.

On audio I’m still listening to Frankenstein, narrated by Dan Stevens and have actually managed to make a bit of progress. I think I’m about half way through but I’m just not in the right mood for it and it’s kind of annoying me at the moment.

Recently Finished

It Only Happens in the Movies

I’m finally feeling a lot better but unfortunately this is my super busy time at work so I’ve been struggling to fit in much time for reading (or blogging). I have however managed to finish two books this week. The first of these was  It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne. I bought this a while ago and after reading and loving How Do You Like Me Now I was very excited about it. Unfortunately however it didn’t quite live up to expectations. It is brilliantly written, and very real in its portrayal of a teenage relationship but I suspect I just read it at a time when I was looking for a bit more fantasy and happily ever after. This had some funny moments but for the most part left me feeling a bit down.Ready to Were (Shift Happens, #1)

The second book finished Ready to Were by Robyn Peterman was a reread that I needed for a challenge but I very much enjoyed it. It’s very short at around 170 pages but it’s quite a fun story about a werewolf who has to return to the island where she grew up to investigate some disappearances. That all sounds pretty straightforward and serious but it’s really not. She has a cross dressing gay vampire best friend, a Grandmother who dresses inappropriately and can beat her up and an alpha were ex who doesn’t want her anywhere near the case.

Reading Next

I’m still probably going to be picking my reads based on what fits various team challenges for the next month or so but I am hoping to get to the following books at some point. A few are ARC’s, one is a library book due back and the other is my next real life book club book.

The Belles (The Belles #1)The Exact Opposite of OkayThe DryI Know A Secret (Rizzoli & Isles, #12)

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below. I may be a little slow responding this week due to work pressures but I’ll get there eventually.

Happy Reading!!

Teaser Tuesday: 16th January 2018

Ali@abookishlife2 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. 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 The Purple Booker.


This week my teaser comes from It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne, a YA contemporary romance about real relationships and how they’re nothing like we see in the movies. I finished this at the weekend and really enjoyed it. I highlighted quite a lot as I was reading so it seemed like the perfect choice for teaser.

My Teaser

“… And, the real question is, why not zombies, Audrey? If you’re going to do anything, you need to ask yourself – would this situation benefit from adding zombies? The answer is almost always ‘yes’.”

~ 16% It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

BlurbIt Only Happens in the Movies

Audrey is over romance. Since her parents’ relationship imploded her mother’s been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry. Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy. Because real love isn’t like the movies…

The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and zombies… YA star Holly Bourne tackles real love in this hugely funny and poignant novel.

 

WWW Wednesday: 10th January 2018

Ali@abookishlife20 Comments

The WWW Wednesday 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?

Currently Reading

It Only Happens in the MoviesI started reading It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne last night so I haven’t made much progress on it so far. I do however have high hopes for it as I’ve seen a lot of rave reviews and I loved Bourne’s soon to be released How Do You Like Me Now. Plus you know, there’s a whole movie theme.

On audio I’m still listening to Frankenstein, narrated by Dan Stevens but have made literally no progress as I haven’t really driven anywhere.

Recently Finished

Happily ​Ever After (Cinder & Ella, #2)

It’s been my turn to be ill over the last week so I’ve had a couple of days where I haven’t been up for any reading, or in fact getting out of bed. Needless to say it also affected my reading choices, I have a bit of a tendency to go for light and fluffy romances. I did however manage to finish three books, the first of which was Happily Ever After by Kelly Oram. This was the sequel to one of my favourite feelgood books, Cinder and Ella, and while I’m not sure it needed a sequel I really enjoyed being back with all of the characters. It’s rare you get to find out what happens next after a big ending and I thought Oram did a really great job. It’s not quite as good but there are plenty of feels, yep I cried.

Wildfire (Hidden Legacy, #3)After Happily Ever After I came across Wildfire by Ilona Andrews on sale on Amazon and that seemed like a good excuse to finish another series I had in progress. It’s the third and I thought final book in the Hidden Legacy series but I’m pretty sure with that ending there’s more to come. Overall I found it an okay read but not as good as the first two books. I think this was me rather than the book though as I was feeling really rough when reading it. All of the other reviews I’ve seen (by reviewers I rate) rave over it. Maybe I’ll go back and re read at some point (also because I really don’t remember much of it).

The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries, #1)The third and final book read this week was The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. This has been lurking on my kindle for ages (possibly years) and I finally picked it up because it fit a task on the team challenge I’m taking part in on Goodreads. It was nice to finally read this and I very much enjoyed it. I’ve seen the film a few times, but there were enough differences to keep me engaged. I have to say I find Grandmere in the book much funnier and more interesting than the character in the film. I would have loved if they’d let Julie Andrews play her that way.

Reading Next

I’m going to be doing this team challenge for the next four or five weeks so I think my reading is going to be driven primarily by what I can make fit the various tasks. I’m therefore not going to attempt to guess what my next read will be.

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading!!

Teaser Tuesday: 9th January 2018

Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. 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 The Purple Booker.


This week my teaser comes from Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. I have to confess I haven’t actually started reading it yet but I’m between books as I write this and I think this may be what I pick up next. I don’t read a lot of non fiction but this is one that I’ve been curious about for a while. She is behind a lot of my fave TV shows, and I recently read and enjoyed one of Mindy Kalling’s books so I have high hopes.

My Teaser

Fabrication is like a bad habit that feels good, easy to pick up, hard to quit. Spinning tall tales, knitting yarns made of stories, is my dirty little vice. And I like it.

~ 2% Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

BlurbYear of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person

In this poignant, hilarious and deeply intimate call to arms, Hollywood’s most powerful woman, the mega-talented creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder and Catch, reveals how saying YES changed her life – and how it can change yours too.

With three hit shows on television and three children at home, Shonda Rhimes had lots of good reasons to say no when invitations arrived. Hollywood party? No. Speaking engagement? No. Media appearances? No.

And to an introvert like Shonda, who describes herself as ‘hugging the walls’ at social events and experiencing panic attacks before press interviews, there was a particular benefit to saying no: nothing new to fear.

Then came Thanksgiving 2013, when Shonda’s sister Delorse muttered six little words at her: You never say yes to anything.

Profound, impassioned and laugh-out-loud funny, in Year of Yes Shonda Rhimes reveals how saying YES changed – and saved – her life. And inspires readers everywhere to change their own lives with one little word: Yes.

10 Signs you may not be loving your current read

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Sometimes it’s clear that you’re not enjoying your current read but sometimes the signs are a little bit more subtle. You don’t hate it but it’s just not holding your attention. Often it’s not even that the book is bad, it may just be the case that it’s the wrong book for that particular time or you may just be in a bit of a reading slump.

So how do you know you’re not loving your current read. Here are 10 signs I’ve found that this may not be the right book for right now.

1 You’ve read the same page 3 times,

have no idea what happened…

and don’t care enough to read it a fourth time, moving on…

2 You check how far you’ve gotten every five minutes

read karen gillan GIF by HULU

If it’s a physical book you flick forward to see how many pages are in it, how many are left, whether there’s a lot of writing on them or hopefully how many blank or partial pages there are. If you’re on an ereader, you check either the percentage, page x of x or more often than not the “there are x minutes remaining in the chapter/book”. You also have to start timing your reading just to make sure that little timer is accurate. There’s nothing worse than when you’ve been reading for 30 mins and it hasn’t moved or even worse gone up.

3 You read the last page

halloween book reading humour read GIF

I know some people do skip forward when they’re reading but if you’re checking to see how much writing is on the pages and reading bits to find out if something exciting is going to finally happen, or it’s going to switch to the pov you prefer it’s not a good sign. If you’re actually reading the last page to find out how it ends (and this isn’t something you usually do) it’s a really, really bad sign.

4 You go to bed to sleep!!!!

winnie the pooh night GIF

Wait, WHAT?!?! Actually going to bed at a reasonable time and sleeping, what’s that about? Surely beds are for horizontal reading until you can’t physically keep your eyes open any longer?

5 You spend an inordinate amount of time shopping for new books

confessions of a shopaholic shopping GIF

Look how shiny, new and exciting they are. Yes you have hundreds of books you haven’t read but you’re midway through a book so it’s okay to buy one or two or a hundred more for when you finish it. And obviously you have to do your research. What are the reviews like? Have you checked every bookshop to see which one has the best deal or that collectors edition you really want. Maybe you should have a quick look on NetGalley and see if there’s anything interesting there.

Who am I kidding, I do this regardless of whether I’m enjoying my current read 😀

6 You start reading something else

reading read GIF

That shiny new book you just bought, maybe you should just read the first few pages to see if it’s going to be as good as you think it will? And if you’ve started it, maybe you should just finish it? Or maybe you could re read an old book that you love, just to help you get to sleep or to calm you down.

You’re definitely not abandoning your current read, just putting it on hold for a bit, honest.

7 Binge watch shows on Netflix

bored edward norton GIF

You know that new show that everyone’s been talking about but you don’t really fancy? Now seems like the perfect time to watch every single episode and maybe also catch up on those other shows you’ve been meaning to see. And I mean if you’re doing that you may as watch all of those shows/films you’d recorded to watch later.

8 Your home has never been so clean and tidy

movies cleaning clean clean up cleaning up GIF

OK you know there’s definitely a problem when cleaning seems like a more enjoyable option than picking up that book.

9 You look for projects

no idea diy GIF by Mayhem

Similar to the previous one, it suddenly seems like now may be the perfect time to clear out your closet, rearrange your bookshelf, write that novel you’ve been thinking about, learn a foreign language, pretty much anything that’s not reading.

10 You write blog posts about signs you’re not loving your current read

fight time GIF

😀

Technically, I’m between books at the moment but I did start this post when I wasn’t particularly loving the book I was reading. Anyone want to take a guess which one?

Do you have any subtle tells that you may not be loving your current read? What do you do? Do you give up and move on or push through?

Let’s chat

Review: Everless by Sara Holland

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Everless
Everless by Sara Holland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Original, addictive and frustrating as hell. This is one of those books where I just wanted to give the main character a good shake but couldn’t put it down.

THE BLURB

Time is a prison. She is the key. Packed with danger, temptation and desire – a perfect read for fans of The Red Queen. 

In the land of Sempera, the rich control everything – even time. Ever since the age of alchemy and sorcery, hours, days and years have been extracted from blood and bound to iron coins. The rich live for centuries; the poor bleed themselves dry.

Jules and her father are behind on their rent and low on hours. To stop him from draining himself to clear their debts, Jules takes a job at Everless, the grand estate of the cruel Gerling family.

There, Jules encounters danger and temptation in the guise of the Gerling heir, Roan, who is soon to be married. But the web of secrets at Everless stretches beyond her desire, and the truths Jules must uncover will change her life for ever … and possibly the future of time itself.

MY REVIEW

There seems to be a lot of buzz about this book and I have to admit I was a little bit skeptical going in. Is there anything truly original left to do in YA fantasy? But actually, Holland does somehow manage it. Yes there are a lot of the familiar tropes but the central concept, that in this land time is used as a currency, is absolutely brilliant. Add to that some wonderful writing and world building and this is a book that’s definitely worth reading.

There is something instantly likeable about the authors writing style and the whole story feels very much like a fairytale, from the dark and dangerous woods, the poor peasant girl with the sickly father, powerful royals and secrets from the past. In the beginning it reminded me a little of beauty and the beast as Jules takes on her fathers debt in order to save him, venturing to the palace they ran from when she was a child to work as a servant. In Everless she finds cruelty, greed and excess but she also finds friends, old and new, and begins to uncover the secrets from her past.

The story is a little predictable, I saw pretty much everything coming, but while it’s frustrating watching Jules do ridiculously stupid things and trusting the wrong people it does make for some addictive reading. I was literally shouting at the pages but I couldn’t stop turning them.

Jules as you can probably tell drove me crazy. She is kind and brave but she’s a little too naive and trusting and I’m not sure that really changes over the course of the story. The other characters are a bit more complex and many are not as they first appear, although again the author scatters enough hints that nothing is wholly unexpected.

The pacing of the story is pretty much spot on and the author creates a very believable and engaging world. There are a few areas I think the author could have developed further, maybe that will come in subsequent books, but there are moments that are absolutely wonderful, shocking, touching, tragic or jaw dropping.

There is plenty of action and intrigue, a few twists and a little bit of romance to carry the story along to a pretty epic conclusion, although with this being the first in a series there are of course a few unanswered questions and a bit of a cliffhanger. This is the authors debut novel so it’s not perfect but it definitely shows a lot of promise and I will certainly be looking out for more.

Overall a great start to the series with a very unique premise and some wonderful writing. I’d recommend you give this series a try if you love YA fantasy and are looking for something a little different.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.

WWW Wednesday: 3rd January 2018

Ali@abookishlife30 Comments

The WWW Wednesday 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?

Currently Reading

Happily ​Ever After (Cinder & Ella, #2)It’s unfortunately not been the happiest of new years for me as my parents are both ill with flu and I’m starting to feel a bit ropey myself. I did however start reading Happily Ever After by Kelly Oram yesterday and I am absolutely loving it. It’s the sequel to Cinder and Ella which is probably one of my fave books so I was a little wary of it but other than Cinder being a little too perfect (it’s not possibly for someone to be so wonderful) it is brilliant. So fluffy and feelgood.

On audio I’m still listening to Frankenstein, narrated by Dan Stevens but haven’t made a huge amount of progress as I went to see The Greatest Showman at the cinema and have been listening to the soundtrack on repeat ever since.

Recently Finished

Between the Blade and the Heart (Valkyrie, #1)

In addition to most of my family being ill the weather hasn’t been so great over the last week so I’ve had plenty of time for reading. I’ve managed to finish four books and actually wrote up a few reviews and blog posts (it’s a Christmas miracle).

The first book finished, Between the Blade and the Heart,  was unfortunately one of the biggest disappointments of 2017 for me. I loved the sound of this adult fantasy based on Norse mythology but just never really connected with any of the characters. It was probably a little too heavy on descriptions and world building for me.

EverlessThe second book finished was one of my most anticipated ARCs, Everless by Sara Holland. It’s a YA fantasy set in a world where time is used as a currency, a concept I found fascinating. I wouldn’t say this book wowed me but I did very much enjoy it and for the author’s debut novel it’s pretty impressive.

It felt very fairytale like to me and while the main character did frustrate me a lot (she’s just so naive and trusting I wanted to shout at her) I thought the world building was really well done and there were some very special moments. I will no doubt be reading the sequel when it comes out.

SourdoughAfter Everless I was in the mood for something different so picked up  Sourdough by Robin Sloan. This was an ARC I received from Readers First (although I’m pretty sure it’s already out) and is about a young woman who works as a software engineer at a robotics company. She works long hours with very little social interaction until one night she decides to order takeout and develops an addiction to spicy soup and the special sourdough bread. When the brothers behind the takeout have to leave the country they leave her to look after the starter for the bread and she discovers a new passion.

It’s a really quirky story and I read the majority of it in a day. There’s a great mix of technology, baking, a little bit of magic and a lot of weird. I did find myself relating to a lot of it though and there were moments that made me laugh.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls, #1)

The fourth and final book of the week was I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You by Ally Carter. I loved her soon to be released Not If I Save You First so it tempted me to read more of her books and this is the first in her Gallagher Girls series about a girls boarding school for future spies. It’s a fun read and as long as you don’t take it seriously or look for a lot of depth it’s a really enjoyable read. I’ll no doubt be reading on in the series at some point.

Reading Next

I don’t have any ARC’s that are due for publication soon but both The Belles and The Hazel Wood are sitting tempting me so I may pick one of them up. I also managed to get a copy of Tess Gerritsen’s latest Rizzoli and Isles from the library so I may pick it up instead.

The Hazel WoodThe Belles (The Belles #1)I Know A Secret (Rizzoli & Isles, #12)

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading!!

Teaser Tuesday: 2nd January 2018

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Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. 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 The Purple Booker.


Happy New Year Everyone. I hope you all had a great time over the holiday period and you’re feeling good about 2018.

My first teaser of the year comes from Sourdough by Robin Sloan, author of Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore. I received a copy of this from Readers First and read it over the weekend. It’s quite a quirky story about a woman who works as a software engineer but discovers a sudden passion for baking bread. It’s one of those books you can probably take a lot of meaning and depth from or just relax and enjoy. Probably not recommended for those trying not to eat bread though 🙂

My Teaser

The cheese is not the thing, he told me. The cheese is just the territory, the battleground. The bacteria are the thing. They are the actors on a milky stage.

~ Pg209 Sourdough by Robin Sloan

BlurbSourdough

Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighbourhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers close up shop, and fast. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her – feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it.

Lois is no baker, but she could use a roommate, even if it is a needy colony of microorganisms. Soon, not only is she eating her own homemade bread, she’s providing loaves daily to the General Dexterity cafeteria. The company chef urges her to take her product to the farmer’s market, and a whole new world opens up.

When Lois comes before the jury that decides who sells what at Bay Area markets, she encounters a close-knit club with no appetite for new members. But then, an alternative emerges: a secret market that aims to fuse food and technology. But who are these people, exactly?

My Favorite Reads from 2017

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Well no one can say I didn’t wait until the very end of the year to post my top reads of 2017. I think there may only be a few minutes left of the year but I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

2017 has been such a great bookish year for me. I’ve been lucky enough to attend a lot of bookish events, meeting a lot of my favorite authors and I’ve read 145 books, that’s around 48,500 pages. With an average rating of 4.0 stars there were a lot of brilliant stories making it really difficult to pick a top 10 so instead I’m hosting the third annual I Wuv Book Awards.  Essentially this means I’ve had a look at my favorite reads of the year and slotted them into some made up awards categories. There are no actual prizes I’m afraid but I will definitely be recommending these books to all I meet.

So without further ado the winners are…..Read More »