Stitch Head by Guy Bass

Title – Stitch Head

Author – Guy Bass

Publisher/Published – Stripes / August 2011

Genre – Fantasy, Middle Grade, Paranormal.

Summary from Goodreads

In the maze-like dungeons of Castle Grotteskew, the frightfully insane Professor Erasmus conducts his bizarre experiments on living things. His very first creation has been long forgotten – a small, almost-human creature, known only as Stitch Head. Poor Stitch Head has spent years vying for attention amongst a menagerie of freakish monsters. When a travelling circus ringmaster, Fulbert Freakfinder, promises to make him a star, Stitch Head wonders whether there is another life for him. But first he has to catch the professor’s latest creation – a monstrous three-armed creature that’s just smashed its way to freedom . . .

My Thoughts

4.5 stars out of 5 stars

So as many of you will know I really enjoy reading middle grade novels as well as young adult. I saw this in the library and the cover was stunning, the little illustration of Stitch Head drew me in and I decided to pick this book up. I went into it not really knowing anything about it, it was a short read at 190 page and I read it in a day. I was a cute, fun read. Stitch Head is the forgotten invention of the professor, he watches over the professor and steps in when the inventions go wrong. Stitch head was a cut little character and the illustrations of him where beautiful. I loved all the illustrations in the book as they added an extra dimension to the story. my favourite illustration was of course Stitch Head. The novel was a quick read but I enjoyed getting lost in the castle and joining Stitch Head on his adventure. I loved the writing and I hope to read the rest of the series very soon. I would highly recommend this story to everyone who wants a quick, fun and exciting read.

Just a quick review this time, but I hope to read and review the rest of the series very soon. Stay tuned for another post.

 

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Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey

Title – Elizabeth is missing

Author – Emma Healey

Publisher/Published – Penguin / June 2014

Genre – Contemporary, Mystery, Crime

Summary from Goodreads

Meet Maud

Maud is forgetful. She makes a cup of tea and doesn’t remember to drink it. She goes to the shops and forgets why she went. Sometimes her home is unrecognizable – or her daughter Helen seems a total stranger.

But there’s one thing Maud is sure of: her friend Elizabeth is missing. The note in her pocket tells her so. And no matter who tells her to stop going on about it, to leave it alone, to shut up, Maud will get to the bottom of it.

Because somewhere in Maud’s damaged mind lies the answer to an unsolved seventy-year-old mystery. One everyone has forgotten about.

Everyone, except Maud . . .

My Thoughts

5 out of 5 stars.

When I first started reading Elizabeth is Missing, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy it because I don’t usually read contemporary novels so it was a little out of my comfort zone. However after reading the summary I decided to give it a go and I am so glad I did. Elizabeth is Missing is about Maud who has problems with her memory and she knows in her head the Elizabeth has gone missing but no one believes her and keeps brushing her off. What Maud is remembering is about something that happened in the past but she confuses it with the present. Maud has memories that have been jumbled with the present and it makes her confused because she knows the memory is correct but she muddles it with something that has happened sooner that she thinks. Maud was a great character and I did feel really connected to her. I have had a family member that problems with their memory and some of the things that Maud did, this family member did as well. So as I was reading Maud felt like a member of the family. I did feel sorry for her because she was trying so hard to find out what had happened to Elizabeth and no one believed her and thought she was just confused. Maud wasn’t confused she knew something had happened however she did confuse the person that it happened to. I was intrigued to see where the story was going to go and I did have an inkling on how Maud was confusing Elizabeth with. this was a really enjoyable read and I would highly recommend it to most people, especially if you want something a bit out of your comfort zone.

Favourite Quotes

• Enough food. You can never have enough. Most of it seems to go missing anyway, and can’t be found even after I’ve bought it. I don’t know who’s eating it all. My daughter’s the same. ‘No more cans, Mum,’ she says, going through my cupboards at every opportunity. I think she must be feeding someone. Half the stuff disappears home with her,
• Elizabeth is the only friend I have left; the others are in homes or graves. (this was so sad)
• “An ancient noise, like a fox bark, makes an attempt at the edges of my brain.”

 

 

 

 

This is my Genre, Tell me yours, Book Tag.

Hey Guys, time for another post. Today I have another tag for you. It is called This is my genre, tell me yours. It was created by Drew over at TheTattooedBookGeek and I was tagged by Brooklynthebookworm

Rules:

• Tag Drew as the creator of the tag and link his blog.
• Answer the Questions.
• Tag as many people as you like.

1. What is your favourite genre? – My favourite genre is Young Adult Fiction, I especially love anything with Magical, supernatural, paranormal and elemental included. I do also enjoy middle grade as well, they can be really quick to read and I find them a great read.

2. Who is your favourite author from that genre? – Well my obvious answer is J.K Rowling. She has such a talent for writing, she is truly a queen in the writing world. Also I grew up reading Harry Potter so her writing has a special place in my heart.

3. What is it about the genre that keeps pulling you back? – To be honest it is hard to answer this because I just always seen drawn to YA. I have an obsession witches, werewolves, vampires etc. So I tend to be drawn into stories with these elements.

4. What is the book that started your love for your favourite genre? – Harry Potter for sure. I have been obsessed with Harry Potter since I was little. Ever since reading HP I drifted into middle grade and progressed into YA.

5. If you had to recommend at least one book from your favourite genre to a non reader/ someone looking to start that genre, what book would you chose and why? – This is turning into a Harry Potter post, but I would have to recommend Harry Potter. I would recommend the whole series because the writing is just wonderful and it is such a comfort read. Plus Hogwarts is my home.

There you go for another post. I am tagging anyone who would like to do this tag. I hope you all do it because it was a wonderful tag and I would love to see all your answers.

 

Beauty and the Beast Book Tag

Hello Guys and welcome to another tag post. This tag is the Beauty and the Beast Book Tag. I love books and I love Beauty and the Beast so this is great! I was tagged by the beautiful Brooklyn over at Brooklynthebookworm she has a pretty amazing blog so make sure you check it out.

1. Tale as Old As Time: A Popular Theme, trope or setting that you will never get bored of reading: For me that is anything with a supernatural or magical element. I love books about witches, werewolves, vampires etc. Also books where people have the power to work elements such as air, fire, water and earth.

 

2. Belle – a book you bought for it’s cover that’s just as beautiful inside too; For me this is the editions I bought of Harry Potter with Hogwarts on the spines. Those seven books are beautiful on the inside and out.

 

3. Beast: A book you didn’t expect much from but pleasantly surprised you: I would say This Savage Song by V.E Schwab, when I first started it I wasn’t sure I would like it and by the end I was in love with it.

 

4. Gaston – a book that everyone loves that you didn’t: For me it is A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. Now before you all scream in horror, it isn’t that I don’t like it. I just have never finished it. I have tried maybe three times or so to read it and I always end up putting it down because another book takes my interest, however I do want to try and read it all because all I hear is how great it is.

 

5. Lefou – a loyal sidekick you can’t help but love more than their counterpart. So this is hard because I usually love the sidekicks as much as the main. I will pick Inej from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I love Kaz and Inej the same.

 

6. Mrs Potts, Lumiere and Cogsworth: A book that helped you through a difficult time or that taught you something valuable: For me this is easy. It is the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. No matter what it always helps me when I’m feeling down or have a bad day, Harry Potter gets me through it.

 

7. Something There: a book series that you weren’t into but picked up towards the end: This is really hard because if I love the first book in the series I end up buying the whole series. so for this question I don’t have an answer.

 

8. Be Our Guest – a fictional character you’d love to have over for dinner: Oh my goodness this is like asking me to pick my favourite book. It is so hard but if I was really pushed to choose I would say Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

There you go guys. Hope you enjoyed.

I Tag –

doddyaboutbooks

adoptabookaus

onebookishgirl

 

 

 

 

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Title – The Lovely Bones

Author – Alice Sebold

Publisher/Published – Back Bay Books/October 2009

Genre – Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult and Contemporary.

Summary from Goodreads

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her—her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unravelling.

Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humour, suspense, even joy.

My Thoughts

Five out of Five Stars

This is another case where I watched the film before I had read the book. I remember watching the film when it first out. I was such a captivating story, it was heart-breaking but at the same time I was beautiful. Saoirse Ronan is a phenomenal actress and she played the character very well in my opinion. The film has been out for seven years and in that time I never got around to reading it. However a friend of mine sent me a copy as part of a book swap and I am so glad I read it. The book was a lot better than the film, don’t get me wrong I love movie but as always the book was better. It is hard to describe how I feel about the book with out always repeating myself, it was beautiful, captivating and heart-breaking. I was hooked from the get go of reading this. I loved the narration of Susie and it was as if she was sitting with me and telling her story. I felt so connected to her and her family than anytime something sad happened I was sad, where there was a glimmer of happiness I was happy as well. I honestly cant say enough to give this book justice. I really recommend that you guys read it because it seriously is amazing. If you have read it what are your thoughts? Leave them in the comments.

Favourite Quotes

•  “My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.” –  Such a captivating line.
  
• “Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had.”  
• “These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent-that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events that my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body had been my life.”  
• “Our only kiss was like an accident- a beautiful gasoline rainbow.”  
• “Because horror on Earth is real and it is every day. It is like a flower or like the sun; it cannot be contained.”  
• “There was one thing my murderer didn’t understand; he didn’t understand how much a father could love his child.”  

 

 

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

Title – Victoria

Author – Daisy Goodwin

Publisher/Published – Review/October 2016

Genre – Historical Fiction

Summary from Goodreads

Early one morning, less than a month after her eighteenth birthday, Alexandrina Victoria is roused from bed with the news that her uncle William IV has died and she is now Queen of England. The men who run the country have doubts about whether this sheltered young woman, who stands less than five feet tall, can rule the greatest nation in the world. Surely she must rely on her mother and her venal advisor, Sir John Conroy, or her uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, who are all too eager to relieve her of the burdens of power.

The young queen is no puppet, however. She has very definite ideas about the kind of queen she wants to be, and the first thing is to choose her name.

Everyone keeps saying she is destined to marry her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, but Victoria found him dull and priggish when they met three years ago. She is quite happy being queen with the help of her prime minister, Lord Melbourne, who may be old enough to be her father but is the first person to take her seriously.

My Thoughts

Five out of Five Stars

Before I knew this book existed I had watched the fantastic TV series which was written by the author of this book. I want to start by expressing how good the TV series was. It was aired on ITV and was called Victoria. Jenna Coleman’s portrayal of Queen Victoria was spectacular. She is such a talented actress and she is becoming one of my favourite actresses. The other actresses and actors did great with their portrayal of the characters. I was totally captivated with the series and didn’t want it to end. I couldn’t believe I would have to wait until 2017 for the next series. However I found out that the creator of the series had also written this book so I had to get a copy. At first I wasn’t sure if I would like it because although I love watching any programmes about history, I don’t always do well with Historical Fiction. I am so glad I picked this up because it was such a good read. It is basically the TV series in book form, when I was reading it I couldn’t help but imagine the actors and actresses from the series reading the lines. It was such a captivating read and it really has changed my mind about Historical Fiction and I am eager to read more. (Feel free to leave recommendations in the comments.) The author wrote this very well and it was interesting from start to finish. I loved that there was serious parts, humorous parts and also a few sad moments throughout the story. I highly recommend both the TV series and the book to all readers.

Favourite Quotes

• “I do not like the name Alexandrina. From now on I wish to be known only by my second name, Victoria. Melbourne nodded. “Victoria.”
• “They think I am still a little girl who is not capable of being a Queen.”
• “Lord Melbourne turned to look at Victoria. “They are mistaken. I have not known you long, but I observe in you a natural dignity that cannot be learnt. To me, ma’am, you are every inch a Queen.”

 

 

 

NaNoWriMo 2016

Hey Guys and welcome to another post. Today I am announcing that I will be participating in NaNoWriMo this year. I am very excited about participating again. For people who are wondering what I am talking about I shall explain. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and as the name says you basically try and write a novel in 30 days. It begins on November 1st and runs until the 30th of November. The main goal by the end of the month is to write a 50k novel. However it is totally flexible, you can write less than 50k or you can write even more than 50k. So my history with NaNoWriMo, I only found out about NaNo last year after seeing an announcement post on somebodies channel. So I set about writing however I didn’t reach the 50k goal. I wrote a total of 11k, which you might think wasn’t much but for me doing NaNo for the first time it was a huge achievement. This time going into NaNo I feel more prepared because I know what to expect. My goal which will be 50k works out that I write 1,667 words a day. Yesterday I wrote 1,191  which is great because I had a lot going on yesterday, I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!!!!!! So Yesterday was full of excitement and happiness. I will be catching up on my word count today which isn’t much but I’m aiming to reach the daily writing target so that I don’t fall behind. To the novel I am writing, the title is An Echo Through the Ember. It is a YA fantasy about twins called Echo and Ember. They are half witch and half werewolf but they were separated at birth, they finally meet on their 18th birthday and for both girls life will never be the same. What do you think??

Well there you go another post done, feel free to comment.

If you are participating in Nano feel free to add me to your buddy list and I will add you back so we can cheer each other on. My username is laurenreads07.

Happy Writing

Lauren.