REVIEW || The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

***This review may contain spoilers.***

SYNOPSIS

The Silkworm is the second book in the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling), and picks up a few months after the end of the Lula Landry case in the first book.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives - so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.

And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any he has encountered before...

When we begin the novel, we learn that Strike's business is booming. Rich clients are seeking his help left, right and centre, and if they're willing to pay... well, Strike's the man for them! But when Quine's wife approaches him, you just know this case is going to be something different.

As Strike finds himself getting more and more invested in the investigation into Quine's disappearance, we find ourselves wrapped up in the literary goings-on of London, where everyone Strike comes across has something to say about Quine and his work - very few, if at all, good. This obviously makes the mystery behind his disappearance all the more interesting, and the list of suspects seems long at times.

However, when Strike gets wind of the new manuscript Quine had sent to his publisher - Bombyx Mori - the pieces start slowly but surely fitting together, making it perhaps the most intriguing case Strike has ever encountered.

MY OPINIONS

I adored this book. Taking it away on holiday (I had done this with The Cuckoo's Calling too) meant I knew I had the time to invest my time and attention to the book moreso than I would have done at home. 

Like I've mentioned once or twice before, I adore JK Rowlings works. Granted, I haven't read The Casual Vacancy, but it is certainly on my to-read list. So there was no doubt in my mind that I would have any ill-feelings towards this book. Whilst some may say I am perhaps heading into the book and plot-line with horse blinkers on, oblivious to those disliking her work - I'd say they may have a point, but having a high expectation of Rowling's work makes me appreciate it just a little bit more. 

The character developments between the previous book and this one seemed well thought out, almost like the author had lived their lives for them, documenting as she went. She definitely has a way with words that will captivate you, regardless of what you read. And considering what she writes in this novel, particularly the murder scene itself, is some-what gory compared to her HP days, I'd say she has her fine writing skills down to a T. 

I think the book reflects a number of issues the current literary world holds - particularly regarding the publishing side of things. You see involvement from literary critics, friends and publishers - both major and individual - just to name but a few bodies of the literary world. Highlighting the different roles involved in writing and publishing a book, is something I think needs to be done more in the book realms I believe. It certainly helps you understand and appreciate the thoughts, time and effort put into the books published and read. 

MY RATING

Overall, I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. For me, it was almost perfect, but sometimes perfection is something that is always just out of reach. This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book - because that is definitely not the case - it just means I can go into the third book knowing what I want. 

And what is it I want? Well, I want a proper spark between Cormoran and Robin. They'd make the greatest couple as well as work team. 

Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

REVIEW || Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

*** please note, this review may contain spoilers***

BOOK THOUGHTS: STEALING SNOW

First of all, many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and also to Netgalley, for approving my request also!

I'm just going to put this out there, I've never read a Danielle Paige book prior to this one. As an avid reader and someone who seemingly adores fairytale re-tellings, you would think I'd have read some of her works by now. But, there's a first time for everything, and the plot line of this novel just drew me in.

"Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy. And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.

Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.

Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them all." (taken from Goodreads)

***

When Bloomsbury posted a tweet about this book, saying they had spare ARC's available, I never thought I'd actually get a copy. An ebook, maybe, as I tend to get things approved from NetGalley now and again, but never a physical copy. The fact that I got the physical copy was enough to keep me invested in the book, even just if it was to provide a review for those of you who read my blog.

***

MY OPINION:

This book was well thought out, even if the concept was a little bit typical in some places, and all over the place in others. There were a whole array of characters who just seemed to be there, not doing much. That being said, I was still captivated throughout the book. 

Whilst I was heading into this book expecting a Snow White retelling, it turned out it is actually a re-telling of The Snow Queen.  Now, I'm unfamiliar with this fairy tale, so each twist and turn in the book was unexpected, as I had no true idea of what the initial fairy tale entailed. However, I do think this worked in my favour, as whilst others may have had expectations regarding familiarity, I lacked them. 

One of the issues I struggled with, is that whilst Snow had a lot going on in her life, such as finding out who she really is, whilst trying to find childhood friend Bale in an alternative universe, there is also a love triangle. What is it with pretty much every YA novel having a love triangle? This wasn't exactly needed, considering Snow's feelings were made pretty clear as of page one. 

Overall, I believe the initial idea had a LOT of promise, most of which was not met.  As this is actually the first in a series - possibly a trilogy, I'm unsure - this makes sense, as it allows things to develop and flow a little better in further books.

***

MY RATING: 

TWO AND A HALF STARS

Have any of you read this book? If so, what are your thoughts? Or do you have any recommendations based off my review? Let me know in the comments below!

REVIEW || Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

OH MY GOD THIS BOOK.

First of all, thanks so much to Vanessa for giving me this book - I owe you one! Links to her YouTube channel are here, and her blog too!

For those of you who don't know - Don't Look Back is one of those books that gets you so sucked in, so so very quickly, and you can't help but want to know EVERYTHING ten minutes before the main character.

In this book, we follow Samantha, who, at the beginning of the book, is found stumbling out of a forest, a little worse for wear - okay, a lot worse for wear. She's battered and bruised, and has no recollection of what happened. She's gone from someone with the 'perfect life', to somehow having no clue who she is. And things only get worse when she's told her best friend Cassie went missing wit her - and still hasn't been found.

***

I loved this. It's my first ever Jennifer L Armentrout book and oh my goodness. Why haven't I picked her books up before now? This book is one of those un-put-down-able types, I read it over the space of 24 hours - less than that actually! I was so invested in the characters, and felt emotions for each and every single one of them. One moment I was happy, another I was sad, mostly, I was as confused as our lead character Samantha, I mean, who wouldn't be?

***SPOILERS***

One of the things I really didn't like, or rather, was frustrated by, was the lack of important flashbacks. I understand why we, as readers, didn't get those flashbacks, but still, I would have appreciated them more rather than just that final one. Whilst the doctors had said her memory may come back in bits and pieces, I didn't really need to see the drama flashbacks between Del, Samantha and Cassie, when they were a given, particularly with Samantha being such a smart lead character. However, that being said, I absolutely loved the flashback involving Scott, Carson and Samantha. We'd heard of this story prior to the flashback, so it was so heartwarming to see that that memory hadn't been tainted by present day lies.

Can we also just stop and take a moment to appreciate Carson please? Perfect book boyfriend right there.

***SPOILERS END***

Overall, for my first JLA read, it is definitely worth a solid 4 stars, if not somewhere between the 4th and 5th star. This is because the main character was so relateable, we felt everything they felt, went through everything they went through, and I definitely came away from the book feeling like I had a friend in Samantha. Not to mention it made me take a step back and think about my life and how I could make changes to make me a better person.

All in all, a fantastic read, and I highly highly recommend it!!

REBECCA RECOMMENDS: eARCS

Everyone who reviews books knows that there are means and methods to reading ARC books. As in, books that are given to reviewers and bloggers before or around publication date in order to boost their profiles on social media. So, how does a blogger get around to gaining eARCS?

There are a number of methods to getting to this point in your blog. Firstly, you need to make sure you have a blog with book content, reviewing or showing hauls. Posting frequently also helps, although this is not completely essential, as in some cases you can post reviews on websites such as Goodreads or NetGalley (a website I'll be telling you about in a moment).

How can a beginner blogger start reviewing unreleased titles?

Your best place to start is most probably going to be NetGalley. This website is a godsend for bloggers and reviewers alike. Signing up is completely free, and although they prefer you to have a blog or somewhere you post reviews, it isn't actually essential, which is a bonus for those just starting out. This is because they ask for your feedback on the book after giving it a rating, as well as asking you to answer a couple of questions before confirming you've read a book and submitting the piece. Once you read and review a book, it gets added to your 'Feedback to Approval Ratio'. This ratio is preferred to be over 85% by those at NetGalley, which means that the more you are approved for, the lower your ratio actually becomes. However, this ratio increases with the more books you read and review, meaning you're also more likely to be approved for books too! If you're reading and reviewing a load of books from NetGalley, and they all just happen to be from a particular publisher, you may be added to an Auto-Approval list, meaning that from that point, if you request a book by that publisher, you will receive that book almost instantly into your downloads.

NetGalley has a range of books for review, so there usually is always something for everyone. Whilst this is just an introduction to NetGalley, Elizabeth over at The Owlery has created a great video guide to getting to know NetGalley a little bit better, which can be found here.

Is there anything other than NetGalley?

Yes. There's other websites available, and sadly, I haven't tried them, due to the fact that I really got on well with NetGalley. One website is Edelweiss, and although I haven't looked at it, I know a few others who have tried this website an do enjoy using it. E;lizabeth has also looked at this in one of her videos, again, really helpful, which can be found here!

Another option is entering giveaways. Authors (particularly on Twitter), often host giveaways to win a copy of their newest releases. Yes it means that you're one of x amount of people entering, but hey ho, it feels great to enter and then even win a competition!

 My final recommendation is following authors or agents on Twitter/Instagram/any social media. This is because they tend to advertise if they are looking for people to review authors work. For example, I was in contact with an agent who supplied me with a synopsis and cover of an upcoming book, and asked if I would be interested in a copy to review. From that, other authors and agents will get in touch with you, particularly if you're also quite active on social media.


So there we go, if you have any questions, or tips yourself, let me know down below!

REVIEW || The Sword that Saves: A Sam Stone Novel by Ambrose Merrell

I was sent this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

* How could an orphan, living in Vancouver, end up in 16th-century Japan, fighting against the terrifying forces of Darkness in a battle to save the world?

The tragic deaths of Sam Stone's parents leave him lost and alone. Fostered separately from his two younger sisters, he sets out to track them down and meets Kensho Iwata. This extraordinary Japenese martial arts teacher has a mysterious sword that the evil powers of Darkness seek to steal.

As Sam, Sophie and Zoe journey back in time and develop their own extraordinary gifts, they are drawn into a battle it seems impossible to win.

The power of Darkness is growing...

*

Firstly thanks to Vicki for sending me a copy of this on behalf of the author/publisher!

I throughly enjoyed this book. It sits at 265 pages, meaning it can easily be read in one sitting or two, or about twenty if you're like me and keep getting distracted! Initially, when I was contacted, I was given the brief synopsis of this book, I was attracted to the martial arts area of it, whilst in a YA concept - this really did intrigue me! When I was younger I did Kickboxing, and I have often wondered how a martial art would entwine into a YA novel, and Ambrose does it so well!

The plot wasn't too difficult to follow, and any martial arts terminology - particularly aikido - weren't that difficult to understand, as all terms were explained to us as they were to Sam. It was actually quite interesting to read the author notes too, as Ambrose is actually trained in Aikido, so hats off to him for utilising what he knows for the sake of the novel. Often, there's a tendency to "overwrite" something an author has a passion for, but this isn't the case. The author takes all readers into consideration in terms of terminology, explains everything at least once (actually twice if you count telling Sams sisters) and therefore you come out of the book with new martial arts knowledge to wow others with!

Overall this was an enjoyable read. The characters developed well, particularly Sophie and Zoe, whose developments I admired the most throughout the book. I'm giving this book a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, meaning I'd recommend it to most readers, or those with a particular interest in the topic.

See you all soon with another review!

REVIEW || Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

***this book was received as an eArc in exchange for an honest review***

You want honest?

I've never read Cecelia Ahern.

Now, I'm well aware of just how popular her works are and how successful a writer she actually is. So when I heard she was venturing out of her usual writing realm and diving into YA, I thought 'good for her'. Well, you can only imagine my surprise at seeing her new novel available on the eArc site I use. I snapped that bad boy up.

So what is Flawed about exactly? Well, we follow Celestine, our main female character who is 17 years old. Lives with her parents and siblings, straight A student with an amazing boyfriend. One problem. There's this thing called the Guild. The Guild are there to protect the community, by preventing corruption and dishonesty in leaders BEFORE it has a chance to happen. How? They monitor your every move. If you do something morally or ethically wrong through any of your actions, you get punished, and are seen as flawed. The punishment is simple. You are branded - with a hot iron just like cows no less- in one of five places, depending on your sentencing. Those places each have a different meaning, and being flawed and branded restricts your freedoms and corrupts your quality of life. So what exactly does this have to do with Celestine, our seemingly perfect female lead? Well, she's faced with a rather tough decision, and whatever path she follows for that decision has grave consequences...

This book is phenomenal for a first time venture into YA fiction from an author outside the field. Throughout my goodreads updates, I found myself going through the motions with Celestine. When she was scared, I was scared for her. When she was worried, I was too. And so on. One thing I didn't like however, is that this is part of a series. The ending clearly leaves the series open to a number of different directions, but I felt it didn't have the closure I usually prefer, which naturally would come from a standalone piece.

Overall, I'm rating the book 4 out of 5 stars. I may pick up the sequel (if I remember to), but if not, I can leave the series knowing that I have been pleasantly surprised by yet another novel, with an ending open to interpretation for myself.

Have you read this book? Let me know down below and we can chat about it! (I promise I'm going to try harder with comment replies!)

REVIEW || Mañana by William Hjortsburg

So a while ago, I got this as a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. Here goes.

-

I actually don't remember all that much about it. As in, I made my decision on my star rating on Goodreads, but didn't leave a review. Clearly, this book had a profound impact on me.

Our main character, Tod, wakes up whilst on holiday with his wife, to find a dead prostitute lying next to him. Yup, that's right a dead prostitute. Naturally his wife is nowhere to be seen, neither are the people he vaguely remembers from the night before. Cue Tod spending the whole of this novel trying to track his wife down, as he is adamant she has been kidnapped against her will. He also needs to figure out whether he did actually murder his wake-up friend, or whether it was all staged to make him look bad. 

Now, don't get me wrong, this book had so much promise. It could have took so many different twists and turns, and it did, they just weren't exciting enough for me. I found his wife to be quite whiny and actually, quite cunning, and I found Tod being a tad too helpless for his own good at some points. However, the points where his head was screwed on actually made sense, but it was so frustrating to see some things pan out the way they did.

Through the time spent writing this review, I've decided to drop my stars from 3 to 2. Mainly because I've realised just how much I disliked the book, even if I did get through it quite quickly.

Sorry if I've disappointed you with this review, and although I am thankful for the eARC copy, I'm pleased I didn't actually pay for this, which is such a shame.

REVIEW: Zoo by James Patterson

***please note, this review may not be completely spoiler free, and all views are my own***

Hello world! How are we all? Hope everyone is well! Today, I am bringing you a review of my most recently read novel, Zoo, by James Patterson. Released initially in 2012 (I believe), it has seemed to slip under many people's radars, particularly those unfamiliar to Patterson or the genres he writes within. That is, until Sky released the information that they were to create a series of the same name, based upon the books. Naturally, after seeing the first trailer (or advert for us Brits), curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up purchasing the book online via Amazon, and upon its arrival a few days later, I picked it up.

Zoo follows our main character, Jackson Oz, who has a pet chimp, Atilla. Now, for those of you who have seen the series Zoo, you may be wondering who Atilla is, as apparently the poor thing has been left out of it. When a string of strange animal attacks on humans begin occurring more and more frequently, this leads Oz, and a number of other individuals, to take note of such behaviour and monitor it, looking for anything out of the ordinary or obscure to such an animals typical pattern. For example, lions, when in a pack and hunting, tend to only have one male lion as the 'lead' so to speak, and the rest of the pack tend to be females. However, in the book, one of the noticeable changes or strange goings-on is that a lion pack is actually hunting in an all-male formation, highly out of character for such a predator. When Oz gets asked if he would like to see strange animal behaviour patterns in Africa, he leaves his girlfriend behind in the US, and asks her to look after Atilla. And this is where it really starts to go downhill for our main character.

Whilst on the way to Africa, he recieves an email from his girlfriend Natalie, who is trying to tell him she wishes for them to break up, as she feels almost like a third wheel in her own relationship with Oz and his dedication to his work. He reluctantly agrees (what else can he do from the other side of the world) and throws himself into what Africa has to offer in terms of animal behavioural patterns. Several events follow this (which i do not wish to disclose in fer of spoilers for you all), but in these events there are attacks, deaths, new friendships and potential love interests, and Oz has only been there 24 hours!

From Africa, Oz returns to the US with his new love interest in tow, as he believes he has nothing to lose now that Natalie has seemingly cut all ties. However, he notices when he arrives at his apartment that things are not all they are cracked up to be, and this discovery aids him greatly in his research.

This book kept me gripped. At times, I really didn't want to pick it up in fear of what might happen next, but then again, it did such a good job of drawing me in again and again I couldn't resist! Some of the characters were incredibly well developed, although I feel that some deserved more time to shine in their roles (such as Oz's guide in Africa for example).

Overall, I rated this book a 4/5 stars on Goodreads, as I felt the story was lacking in reality in parts, although it did enough to keep me hooked. A must read for those who are wanting to be introduced to Patterson's writing style!

BOOK REVIEW | The Bees by Laline Paull

***please note, this review may contain spoilers***

I took this to read on my recent holiday to Turkey, as it is one of the shorter books I own. I found the concept of it interesting, and when I was further recommended to read it and push it up my TBR, I felt this was an appropriate way to do so.

In this book we follow Flora 717, a sanitation worker bee, as she goes through her day to day life in the Hive she is born into.

I can't really give too much away, as anything I say will probably severely spoil the book for you! All you need to know is that Flora 717 is not like the others. She doesn't seem to fit as a sanitation worker bee, and grabs every opportunity given to her with open arms. At points, I sympathised with her, rooted for her, cried with her, laughed with her, wanted to sting another bee with her. I went on this rollercoaster ride of emotions, with a bee. Not even a real bee! Once I'd completed the book, I took a step back and asked myself what kept me so interested and wrapped up in Flora 717's story. And the truth is? I have no idea. I guess it just fascinated me to imagine life as a bee, whilst having the trials and tribulations of a human, all under a semi-dictatorship (if not a complete one)of a Queen or Loving Mother.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I would highly highly recommend you read this book. Even if it is just for the idea that it is about bees! That's what intrigued me initially, and when asked what it was about, that's all I could say. I promise you, once you begin to read it, you will be completely and totally sucked in!

Easily a five out of five stars, adding to this years list of 5*'ers, and making that decision of my favourite book of 2015 just that little bit harder.

REVIEW | The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith.

***please note this review may contain spoilers.***

I took this book on my travels this year (as I'm writing we have only just returned from Turkey, beautiful country), as I had already owned The Silkworm for quite some time, until I was informed that this came first. Naturally, as a first time reader of Robert Galbraith, I was dubious about taking both books, so left The Silkworm at home. 

I regret that decision. 

Beginning this in the departures lounge at the airport, I found I only had about twenty minutes reading time before our departure gate opened after looking around the shops and having food. So of course, I challenged myself to read a certain amount of pages. And failed. What little I did read however, I absolutely loved and found myself wanting more.

Initially, I found the plot to be running a little slow. But that is completely understandable for the first in what I truly do hope is a substantial series length. 

For those of you who dont know, Robert Galbraith is not actually a man. Nor is he real actually. He's actually a certain wonderful author who is perhaps one of the most famous (if not the most famous) of the past 20 years. Who, I hear you ask? J.K. Rowling.

I KNOW RIGHT. The Harry Potter lady wrote something not Harry Potter and it is fantastic.

The first book in the Cormoran Strike follows, well, Cormoran Strike, a private detective, who when we meet him, is a little down on his luck. His business is failing, he's recently single, and lives in his office. Sounds like a hoot to work for doesn't he? 

And that's where we meet Robin. Robin is hired through a temp agency to be Strike's secretary, and the two seem to feign interest in one another at first, but without really caring. Until they realise, on seperate occasions, just how much the other person is helping them. For Robin, Strike is providing her with the opportunity to work in a position she's always dreamed of, and for Strike, Robin is providing that little bit of structure and support he really does need in the form of both employee and friend. The development of their characters over the course of the book makes for a great read, as we see Robin coming out of her shell more in the sense of investigating for the case.

The case. The case which Robin is involved in working on with Strike is that of the death of Lula Landry, a famous model (I'm thinking along the lines of Cara Delevigne here {if thats how her name is spelt}). Initial reports from the police, coroner and newspapers all believe and decide it to be suicide, but her brother John Bristow, approaches Strike begging for his help, as he believes it wasnt suicide, it was murder. Surely, if the police believe her death to be unsuspicious, and the coroner ruling the same, there's no need for Strike to intervene? Naturally, he intervenes and begins his investigation into the models death.

We follow Strike and Robin as the case develops, and without a doubt there are a few twists and turns along the way. Although you do feel as though you're on a little bit of a wild goose chase at times, it's worth it in the end. I had my suspicions for the culprit (if there ever was one), but sadly I was proven wrong. It didn't stop me loving following the story though, and I finished the majority of the book in one day whilst lounging around the pool. 

Overall, I would most likely rate this 4.5/5 stars to 5/5 stars. I am currently undecided on which to choose, as for all it is very very worthy of five stars, I felt that perhaps there was something missing. That and I didnt like Robins fiance all too much.

See you all soon with another review!

***

Have you read this book? What did you think? I'd love it if we could start a discussion below in the comments!

DISCUSSION: I can't afford books, should I keep blogging/ using YouTube?

Hello world! Today I'm coming at you with a response/reply to a certain video I watched this morning on YouTube, regarding the issues surrounding being able to afford books, and whether or not you should cease to blog or film if such money problems occur. 

The video in question:

The creator of the discussion is a man named Richard Denney (https://twitter.com/richarddenneyyy), who explains pretty much straight off that he's an author. He's an avid reader, booktuber and tweeter, and within this video he gets personal. As in he explains how he can 'afford' to keep Booktube going. How? It's simple.

You dont.

There are means and methods around having to 'afford' books. A lot of the time, as a Booktuber and blogger, you go through an introductory impulse buy when you join either community. I've been blogging and posting videos since September 2014 (it's now July 2015), and I still find myself impulse buying through recommendations of others. You bad influences you ;)        
However, this phase does need reigning in for myself personally, but if you can afford brand new books every single month, well done you! It is important to note though, that not everyone can afford this, and that's OKAY. There are other means to reading the newest books, or even older books that you want to read.

The methods:

SO, I've compiled a couple of things together to show different methods of being able to stay active on social media, whilst still being able to read new or newish books. Some of these Richard mentioned in his video, and some of them I have thought of on my own. 

1. Get a library card - if you live in the UK, you have the opportunity to get a library card from your local council, which doesn't tie you down to just one library, it opens you up to accessing several different libraries in your area, and some may have better options suited to your reading taste than others. You may need to pay a fee to get such a library card, but even if you pay £5.00 for that little bit of plastic (which is the most expensive I've seen), it is worth it in the long run, especially if you want to keep reading or prefer reading to deadlines in order to get another book out.

2. Bargain hunting - even if you begin in the big book stores, the majority now have SALE sections. That's right people of the UK, Waterstones have a sale section. Now, curb your excitement for a moment okay? Often, these books have been slightly damaged, or have been used for display purposes and may have nothing wrong with them at all. They're books at a fraction of their actual cost, and if it's something you really really want, maybe that slightly torn edge will be worth it?

3. Use popular books to your advantage - okay so this one may seem a little confusing. Basically, many UK supermarkets (and possible US walmarts, I'm really not too sure), get a wide selection of best sellers to sell in their stores. For example, the beautiful covers of the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series by George R.R Martin are available in at least two of the popular UK supermarkets, on deals of two for £7.00, which I have no shame in admitting is where I got my copies of the first two books. Considering they retail at £8.99 individually, there really is no harm in using your generic supermarkets.

4 Shop around - Yes, this is basically the same as number 2, but at the same time it's different. In the UK, there are a chain of shops called 'The Works', and pretty much every single city or town will have one. In this shop, they have a wide variety of stock available at a fraction of the price, such as a George R.R. Martin boxset for £30.00 instead of it's retailed price of £65.00. They also often have a sale on, with the majority of the books included being reduced to £1.00 each.

Within this 'Shop around' section, I am also going to mention car boot sales and charity shops. Quite a lot of my books in my hauls are all second hand, and I may buy one or two new books every three months or so depending on how desperately I want a book. Sometimes, those urges for new books take over, and that is OKAY, I just don't make a habit of it, as I already overspend on books! 

Quite a lot of the time, I manage to find books in spectacular condition in charity shops, their spines still like new, and the majority barely touched bar the odd knock here and there from storage. Plus, the most I have every paid for a second hand book is (from what I can remember) is £2.50, which is a third of the price of a usual brand new book. 

5. Ask Santa! (or your birthday fairy or the Easter bunny) - when I was younger, I always used to ask the Easter bunny for a book, as the newer Harry Potters were released around that date. As it was an alternative to chocolate, and slightly more expensive than an egg, it was often more favoured, as parents and family knew I would get more joy out of a book that I could read over and over, rather than egg shaped chocolate that would barely last an hour!

---

Now, I am aware that we are in a digital age, and therefore, a lot of people have smartphones and tablets with Apps on them that allow them to read. As this post is mainly focusing on my responses to being able to afford physical books, I shall post a separate post regarding digital books.

---

You've seen my examples so what now? Do you still have doubts about posting reviews or using YouTube? All I can do is offer advice, and it is up to you to take it. However, I will say a couple of more things before you're free!

It is YOUR decision. Just because a bunch of people who have more popular channels than you with all the books you want and they havent had to pay for them, should not put you off. As I've previously stated, the library is a good source of newly released books, so you can always pick up a copy to get you through a new book hype, return it when finished, and purchase it after if you really really want too. 

If you have issues with buying second hand, I completely understand that. However, their is an unspoken rule in second hand shops in the UK, which is that no book should be sold on if it smells. Sometimes, books smell. Usually of smoke, and often the smell is not always prominent until you actually flick through the book. I found this out the hard way at a car boot sale on day, brought the book home and it absolutely reeked of smoke and made me despise reading the book. My advice to you is this. Smell the books.

I know it sounds crazy, but trust me. Smell the books. It is easily the best thing I've started doing at car boot sales, and usually if you point out it smells a tad funky, theyll knock a little bit off the price too!

Okay, I think that's it for now! Thank you all for reading the post, I know it's a long one, but if it's made someone think, even just a little bit, then it has done it's purpose. Many thanks also to Richard, for posting such a thought provoking topic discussion on YouTube!

*Thank you Google, for providing such wonderful imagery that i can use in my posts, such as this one.

Find me here:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/craftsandreads

Instagram: www.instagram.com/craftsandreads

REVIEW: Outage by Ellisa Barr

Thank you Google for this image! :)

*I got this book on a read to review basis via a well known e-book ARC site, all views are my own and are in no way influenced by said site*

Hello everyone! Long time no blog, and I do feel terrible for this, so I have a few reviews in the works for you all to enjoy! Today's post is focusing on the book Outage, by Ellisa Barr, and I will link the appropriate site and goodreads below for this book.

This book follows Dee (or Maddie), who is staying with her grandfather on his farm whilst her parents go away on a cruise for a week. However, not long after they leave, there is a complete power outage, so the nearby town is enveloped in darkness and chaos ensues there. Her grandfather, who has a pacemaker (unknown to Dee at the time), falls ill and Dee must go to the town to gather supplies for herself and her grandfather, before people click on that this is something that may last longer than overnight. As she does, she bumps in to several characters who, as a reader, you grow to love, and one or two you grow to hate. 

This book really highlights the idea of going from being so reliant upon technology (I'm blogging this right now, for the internet world to see for goodness sake), to being reliant upon the land with no technology to aid you. The closest you get to technology after the outage is probably the gas cooker (stove). I found this fascinating and it really made me step back and think how I would cope if this actually happened, and as it turns out, I don't think I could!

Have you read this book? What do you think? I haven't done my usually of posting an in-depth review with spoilers as I don't know anyone else who has read this, and would like to read more in the series before going more in depth with spoiler-style reviews. However, I have mentioned this in a recent upload I have done on Youtube, which can be found here.

REVIEW | Whiter Than Snow by Matthew Eldridge

****this book was sent to me by the author on a read to review basis, although it is available in both Kindle and Paperback edition, and those links will be left at the end of the blog post****

Title: Whiter Than Snow

Author: Matthew Eldridge

Available on: Kindle, Paperback

About this book:

Whiter Than Snow was sold to me as a fairytale re-telling of the infamous Snow White. You remember her, right? Disney princess, lives in a cottage with seven dwarves who each have their own personality and nickname that defines who they are? The woman who eats the apple and basically temporarily dies? Yeah? Thought that would bring back the memory!

**Please be aware that this may not remain spoiler free, however, it will remain as spoiler free as possible**

In this fairy tale re-telling, we follow the main character, Princess Margarete as she embarks on life. However, there is already a cruel twist of fate at this part. Why? She doesn't know she's a princess! She was rescued from the evil clutches of a witch at birth, after the witch convinced her parents that the infant was in fact dead. So as the King tended to his dying wife, the witch fled with the 'dead' infant. She does get rescued however, and is secretly sent to live with a former help of the Queen, Lucinda. This is where Margarete learns all there is to know about cooking, cleaning and general upkeeping of houses, which pays off massively later in the book. 

And all of that just happened in the Prologue!

We then hear the beginnings of the story of Prince Phillip. Throughout the book, the story jumps from one area to another, and although this may sound confusing at first, the author makes it work really well to suit the narrative and links everything together quite nicely, and rarely are you left confused.

Throw in a couple of love interests, a new horrid Queen, a teenage girl and her emotions and some  historical movements - nothing too difficult to follow, although they add to the story quite well, and this makes for a pretty good read!

-I did actually start keeping notes when I first began reading this, however, I got so engrossed I kind of forgot to keep up with note taking!-

**THIS NEXT SECTION WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS SECTION IF YOU WISH TO REMAIN SPOILER FREE**

Okay, so where do I begin?

First of all, I fell in love with the relationship of Jack and Margarete from the beginning. He seemed so sweet and genuine, and it broke my heart that she was so uncertain of her emotions throughout the book. I understood her feelings towards both Jack and Phillip, although I did envisage her spending the rest of her life as a Queen married to Phillip with Jack on the side. Until that event which kind of killed that image!

The Queen (new, not old) was the perfect "bad guy", and I did wonder what it would be like for her and Queen Mary to team up, rather than hate eachother. I also liked the concept of the Queen taking a bite out of an apple too, as I saw it as a sort of comeuppance.

THE ENDING.
Oh my god the ending. It drove me bonkers! It was a little too familiar to Romeo and Juilet for my liking, and although Phillip didn't kill himself, I kind of expected him to do so. I really did feel sorry for the King at this point though. He had lost his second wife, AND his 'new' daughter, all in 24 hours? He had everything he could have wanted and then had it all so brutally taken away, I kind of wished I could have climbed through my Kindle and given him a massive hug!

**SPOILERS ENDED**

So, overall, I really did enjoy this book, and for that reason I am giving it a 3.5/5 stars. Why not five?

I didn't really enjoy the ending, in my view fairytales are supposed to be all happily ever after, although I do realise that this is a re-telling and people interpret things differently. However, this does mean that this cannot be open to a sequel, which I am pretty pleased about, as many books are created as standalones before suddenly being transformed into series' or trilogies. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairy tale re-tellings, or someone who loves to indulge in YA every now and again without having to feel bogged down at the thought of attaching themselves to another series!

I read this one pretty quickly for me, it took me 12 days to read from start to finish, and at roughly 360 pages long, you'll fly through it too!

Thanks for reading, if you wish to purchase the book the links are below. But for now, I shall leave you with the following:

"In one small journey the world between royalty and peasant collided, erasing social class momentarily"

Kindle Edition: http://amzn.to/1DramKs

Paperback Edition: http://amzn.to/1DrasSf

BOOK REVIEW: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Hello everyone! Today I finished Gone Girl, and whilst the book is still fresh in my mind, I thought I would share my review of the book!

Now, for anyone who doesn't know about Gone Girl, where exactly have you been?! The book was turned into a film that was shown in the U.K over the summer last year, and has been a hit pretty much worldwide. However, me being the type of person that I am, I found myself seeing the previews and wanting to read the book! So I picked up the book from my local supermarket for £3.50, instead of its RRP of £6.99, and it has sat on my shelf ever since, until a couple of weeks ago when I picked it up on a whim after getting bored of my last read!

So what is Gone Girl about?

Gone Girl centres on a couple, Nick Dunne and Amy Dunne (who also goes by her maiden name Amy Elliott, as well as Amy Elliott-Dunne), and is set in a diary format, almost. Each chapter is an entry of theirs, although it doesnt have the usual 'dear diary'. Each chapter title contains their name, and how many days after a certain event takes place that the entry has been made. What event I hear you ask? Basically, Amy disappears, and everyone blames Nick. Cue a book centred on him finding his wife, and proving his innocence. Although things are not all they seem!

***This next section of the review will not be guaranteed spoiler free - if you have NOT read the book, please skip ahead!***

Now, I really do have some issues with this book, which are not exactly spoiler free (another warning!).

I really dislike Amy's character. I mean, she has always been a bit odd (according to her previous entries) in the sense that as soon as she has someone on her team, that actually likes her for her, she starts to push them away at the first sign of them knowing her "too much". Personally, I do believe that this is because she's seemingly under the impression that she knows there is always someone else who can replace the "friend" in question, which is wrong on so many levels.
And then she grows up.
And she is just as bad, if not worse!
I disliked how she basically plotted for a whole year to pull off the disappearance, and the fact that everyone is on her side and believes her because 'why wouldn't you believe this beautiful woman?' is actually an option also disgusts me. The more I read Amy's chapters, the more I wanted to kill her myself.

AND...faking a pregnancy? Killing a  man? Faking your own death? If you dont love your husband anymore, just leave, don't go batshit crazy to make sure he never leaves you out of spite or even pity.

Nick on the other hand...

Well, Nick Dunne. You beauty of a man. I had already seen the trailers so could mainly picture Ben Affleck when reading Nick's chapters but hey, every cloud! The more I read Nick's chapters, the more I supported him. Probably because I was reading Amy's chapters in between and I genuinely felt sorry for the poor bloke, I mean wouldn't you? Regardless of him being a cheat (which goes back on ALL I've said in the past), for someone who supposedly loves you forever to then turn around and fake her own disappearance/death just to make sure you're arrested so you never get the chance to move on from her? Nah, step too far.

***Spoilers end here (or will try too)***

Now, I've vented my thoughts on the characters whilst stating spoilers so lets cut to the chase.
Amy is a character I really dislike.
Nick I feel sorry for.
Go is great!

One other gripe I had with this book is its format. Not in the diary sense, I do believe that is a good idea. Although I think perhaps doing Nick's sections first up to the turning point in the book would be great, followed by Amy's story from the start up until that point. From there, I would probably alternate as already done by Flynn. This way I do believe would allow us to connect to Nick better in the sense of blaming him and then feeling extremely guilty and upset at that turning point.

Overall, I give the book THREE out of FIVE stars. I felt it could have been reorganised to suit the story better, and ultimately, I want to kill Amy myself.

Have you read the book or seen the film adaptation? Or perhaps both? Please let me know in the comments what you thought of the book, I'd love to hear from you!

BOOK REVIEW: The Enchanted Orchards by Kristin Maddock

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of blog (roughly 5 weeks, oopsy) activity, I've been busy getting myself settled into my new course and placement, it's going well! Plus, I have a journey of roughly 40 minutes each day on my own, perfect time for those little 'sessions' of reading!

Today, I bring you a review of The Enchanted Orchards by Kristin Maddock. I got this book for free on my Kindle, and after picking it up and putting it down again and again, I finally managed to finish it at the start of the month.

The basic gist of this story is that the main character has lost her sister. Not lost as in the middle of Asda and not being able to find her, but lost as in died. For the majority of the story we don't know why or how, we just know she has died, coming up to a year ago, and the family are still really struggling to come to terms with it. Our main character, Fern, throws herself into her work at the local diner, whilst also trying to find some sort of faith other than her current one, as she is struggling to come to terms with grieving for her sister through her religion. Her mother sits and prays all day in the home, and has gone from being a woman who bakes, laughs and smiles, to a woman who shuts herself off from the world, praying or pretending to clean. Her father attempts to make effort with his daughter, but we find him becoming more and more withdrawn, only talking to his wife during arguments and practically ignoring his daughter in the process.

So we spend quite a bit of this book witnessing this family's derailment from 'normality'. Until Rocky Lee shows up. Rocky Lee is a farm boy from the town who moved to the 'big city' to study. When he returns, it causes a stir in the town, and Fern. This is where the book goes from depressing to cheesy.

We witness Fern falling in love with Rocky, but in all the stereotypical ways. From avoiding him, to almost kissing him a billion times, I found it go from being sad, to being very tiresome. I found myself only wanting to finish this book because I'd started it and I hate to leave books unfinished, so to see that I was nearing the end I was quite pleased.

Overall, this book rates 1/5 stars. If you're into very cheesy, stereotypical books about teen love then by all means, read it and let me know, you may find it very different to me. Yes, the book deals with difficult issues (which you will find out when you read), and I can honestly understand and sympathise with that. But I found the book to be quit negative in the rest of the aspects, which is not what I was wanting from this book.

Have you read it? What did you think? Please feel free to comment below with your views!

Between Shades of Gray - Review

Hello to all you wonderful people reading my blog! Today - known as 'Blue Monday' in the UK (apparently the saddest day of the year?), I am bringing you a review of my most recently finished book. In fact, I finished it last night, and gave myself the night to sleep on it and let my feelings toward the book settle.

This cover matches the one I already own, however, there are other covers available.Image found here

The Book Title: Between Shades of Gray

The Author: Ruta Sepetys

Year of Publication: 2011

Rating: 5/5 stars

THE REVIEW

This book is unbelievable. I know I don't seem to say this alot about a book so this must therefore be the best thing since sliced bread, but it isn't. It is harrowing, graphic in parts, and upsetting in most parts. Yet it is intriguing and interesting and you cant help but read it. And that is why I love it as much as I do.

I got this book from another Blogger/BookTuber who was doing an unhaul, and therefore got it at a bargain price. I've always been interested in war reads, both fiction and non, so to get this at such a good price just made it more desirable.

This book follows the story of Lina, her brother Jonas, and her mother Elena. In the initial pages, this story also features her father, but unfortunately they get separated. The story is set in 1941, in the midst of the Second World War. However, this isn't a stereotypical war novel, as it doesn't focus on the Jewish trauma. Instead, it focuses on a Lithuanian family and their fight for survival when they are taken by Soviet guards in the night. Initially they are taken to farming grounds, where they are put to labouring work, including hopping wood for fire, farming beets, and in the first instance of work, Lina, her mother and one or two others end up digging their fellow prisoners graves.

After a lengthly period of time (I am not too sure how long this book spans over, as there are a number of lengths of time mentioned, the longest being twelve years), the family and a number of others are listed as to be moved. However, the closest friends the trio have made in the camp have not been included on that list, including Andrius, a boy Lina had befriended on the very first train journey after being taken. The family are moved to the Arctic, where they are forced to build brick houses for the NKVD, while in their spare time they have to build their own protection from the winter storms in whatever form possible.

I really do not want to spoil this book for anyone who hasn't read it, however, I am now going to speak about the book and include spoilers. Please scroll down to the end of this post for my thoughts on the book (as spoiler free as possible) if you wish to avoid somewhat key spoilers.

***SPOILERS BEGIN HERE***

This book had me tugging at my heartstrings from the very moment the family got taken by the Soviets. I found myself hoping and wishing that Lina and Andrius stuck up a proper friendship, if not more, and as I found my frustration growing at the pair through the book, I was relieved for them when I got to the end.

I did feel for Andrius and his mother, although I imagine there would have been ways he could have made it less obvious that he had his own bunk with his mother, such as dirtying himself up a bit when visiting Lina and her family, rather than constantly being clean shaven and well dressed etc. However, I did feel for his mother, who towards the end of Linas time in the first farm, featured less and less. I could never imagine having to agree to sell my body (for free) in order to spare my childs life. I did feel, however, that he author portrayed this area of the story well, especially the way Andrius copes with this on top of the loss of his father. 

The scenes in the cattle carts, with Ona and her newborn child, were horrific, yet felt as though they were necessary, in order for us to be reminded every now and again that the newborn, born on the cattle truck itself after Ona had been snatched from the hospital, was truly innocent in every aspect of the word, and did not deserve to be born on that cattle truck, nor did it deserve to die after only days, with her mother following days later herself for being unable to cope with the grief.

***SPOILERS END HERE***

I believe that the author has done a very good job in every sense when writing this. The novel is written with the use and influence of first-hand family accounts and memories from the survivors of Stalins reign of terror. I believe that the author has done a fantastic job of portraying these tales, and for this reason, I am highly recommending it to anyone who will listen. 

I do feel that if you have never picked up a war novel before, that this is not something you should go into believing that it is all hunky dory and things will turn out okay in the end. Although this is the case for many, the aim of war novels is not to paint a pretty picture of these experiences, but it is to make it so that the readers understand the sacrifices made by so few (or many in the grand scheme of things) for the sake of the freedom of so many.

If you do choose to read this book, please go into it and put all war novel information you know to one side, as it does no book any favours to constantly compare it to another. This book is a divine book in its own right, and I believe Ruta Sepetys has done an amazing job of portraying the harrowing scenes, not just of the buildings or the goings on, but of the characters as well. 

First Buys of 2015!

The books I bought today, still so new they have the stickers on them!

Welcome to 2015 people of Earth!

Yes, it is the 2nd January 2015, and, although I only posted on the 31st, I am back blogging to you already - many many thanks to my new baby (also known as my laptop)!

Today, I went shopping with my other half, and although I needed to go shopping for gifts for family for birthdays, I stumbled upon the little joy that is Waterstones in the Metro Centre. For those who do not know, the Metro Centre is a huge shopping centre just outside of Newcastle in the United Kingdom, and is in constant competition with Blue Water (near Kent I believe) to be the biggest shopping centre in the UK. Until a couple of years ago, there was always a Waterstones just around the corner from the MetroGnome stage (MetroGnomes are the mascots of the shopping centre if you like). Then one day, poof. All of a sudden, it re-opened again in late 2014, just in time for Christmas! But no matter when I went, I couldn't seem to find it. Until today.

My mind was telling my no. But my body (and my heart) were telling me yes. So guess what happened?

I PURCHASED SOME LOVELY SHINY NEW BOOKS AND I AM SO EXCITED TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU!

With the sale sign just staring at me as I attempted to walk past, I gave in. In I went. It is such a lovely little shop, and still looks brand spanking new! On the tables as you walk in, there are sale bargains galore, and that is where I found two of my books.

Endgame: The Calling - James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton

Endgame: The Calling - James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton

This was the first book to catch my eye. Its a hardback, which hopefully means it will be more durable to my clumsiness, and hopefully stay in better shape than other books I've had in the past. The colour of the cover is just divine, i can't help but keep staring at it in short bursts until I realise that it is a book and wont have feelings back at me. Other than the half price sticker, the emblem caught my eye too. It is so intriguing to me, and it is just such a beautiful cover in general, I didn't really need flip it over and look at the back. But I did. 

"The end of the world is coming. Play now. Or we all lose." I mean COME ON. How can you not be intrigued? Safe to say this book had well and truly earned it's way into my arm at this point. Reading the inside flap of the cover just makes me want to read it even more, and for this reason, along with the previous mentioned, it made it's way home with me today, and will be the first of my 2015 reads! I'll also keep you all updated via goodreads and twitter as to how I am getting on with this, as I am to be more interactive with followers and bloggers alike this year! So keep a check on me, I promise I wont disappoint!

All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

The second book to catch my eye is a one that I have seen posted all over Twitter, Instagram, BookTube and blogs alike. This is All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This again, is another sale table snatch. The beautiful cover was the first thing to catch my eye, images of cities from above and outside are always lovely, but to see them on books is always a weakness of mine dragging me in. I recognised the title as being a one from numerous reviews, all of which were nothing but positive, so I was inclined to find out more. 
When I picked up the book and looked at the back cover, all I could see were positive words about how the author describes scenes and how he has created an 'extremely readable' book. At this point I was hunting for the synopsis, which I then found on the inside cover. Now, anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for war novels, and this one is certainly no different. I cannot wait to get stuck into this book!

The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton

The Miniaturist - Jessi Burton

Again, I recognised the name, thanks to you guys! I had heard/read so many good things about this book, I couldn't just walk past it without finding out more about it! Sadly, this one wasn't in the sale, but considering it is a Waterstones Books Club book, I can't complain too much!

The cover of this one is just too gorgeous to walk past without stopping, it really does catch your eye incredibly well. After reading the synopsis on the back, I was yet again intrigued, and after reading such good reviews, I knew I had to get it. After all, I was unsure as to when I would be in Waterstones next!

The second thing to catch my eye had to be the page ends. THEY ARE THE MOST GORGEOUS SHADE OF BLUE. I'm sorry, I just have such a thing for page ends, and these do look particularly delightful.

So there we go, thats it. All three of my first purchases of 2015! If you have read any of these, please leave a *spoiler free* comment below to let me know what you thought of it. If you have a twitter handle, leave that too so I can follow you all in the least stalker-ish way imaginable!

See you all soon - I'm off to go curl up in bed with Endgame!

November Book Haul

Hello!

In my last post I mentioned that I would probably do a follow up blog a few days after the last post to go into more detail about the mini haul I had.

I lied.

And I am so so sorry! I got caught up with overtime at work, cross stitching gift tags and cards, reading, and watching Netflix. So, I'm going to be a good little elf (as it can now be classed as the Christmas season - at least according to the number of houses with Christmas lights) and give you all a more detailed look into my book haul!

November 11th - payday

So the day I got paid, I went for a wander around the shopping area where I work, with the intention of buying Christmas gifts for people. Instead, I ended up purchasing three books for myself, as well as some hairdye, and well, no presents,

Each of these books came from the same Charity Shop - Scope in this instance - and were a complete steal at a total of FIVE POUNDS for the three.

1. The Noahs Ark Quest - Boyd Morrison

*Note - known as The Ark in the U.S. Also, I forgot to take a photo of this one!*

"The greatest archaeological discovery in history could mean the end of mankind"

This book focuses on a woman named Dilara Kenner, who is contacted by a man who claims to have vital information regarding her missing dad. So, she drops everything to go meet this man, However, when she meets him, he tells her of Noah's Ark and the potential death of billions. And I am 99% certain her father is linked into this all, or at least I hope he is! Just as the man begins to explain what he is on about, he actually collapses, and, with his dying breath, tells Dilara to find a certain man named Tyler Locke, who will be able to tell her everything she needs to know.

When she finds him, he agrees to investigate this claim of Noah's Ark alongside Dilara, and they reveal some interesting information. Religious fanatics have infact got a weapon from the Ark that will allow them to recreate the very same effects from the Biblical Flood, which could cause the death of millions.

I'm interested to read this, and see where it takes me. However, I do think it sounds a little too far fetched, I mean, how would these religious fanatics know where teh Ark is, or infact have anything from the Ark itself? I guess I'll have to read to find out!

2. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

I have a confession. I've never actually read a Dan Brown book before. I know! So, pick yourself up off the floor, dust yourself down, and continue reading whilst getting over this shock!

Robert Langdon is asked to perform a lecture in the U.S Capitol Building when he is rudely interrupted by a disturbing object encoded with five symbols being found in the building. Langdon looks into the object, and finds that there is an ancient invitation into a lost world of potentially dangeroud wisdom. His mentor is kidnapped, and Langdon realises that the only thing that can save him is infact to accept said invitation and plunge head first into a world of Masonic secrets, hideen history and an inconceivable truth

Now, I think I am getting myself into a lot of confusion here, as I have infact realised that this is e third in the Robert Langdon series, although the synopsis makes it sound as though the books are standalones and I do not need to worry about missing the first two. Here'ls to hoping!

3. The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton

Whoever donated this book to charity - I owe you one. Big time.

This book has won the Man Booker Prize award in the year of its release - 2013 - so imagine my surprise and delight when a book I have heard nothing but amazing things about has been placed on a shelf in my local chairty shop! I grabbed this baby and was never letting go - I even reluctantly had to hand it over to the cashier and gave this look of desparation for the book to be put in a bag so I could have it back before she kept it for herself!

The Luminaries is set in New Zealand in 1866. The main character - Walter Moody - has arrived in the country with the aim to make his fortune there. On the night of his arrivalhe finds himself in the company of twelve local men who have met in secret to discuss a chain of unexplainable events. A wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute attempted suicide, and an enormous fortune has found its way into the home of an incredibly unlucky drunk. Moody soon finds himself drawn into this mystery, which involves a network of fates and fortunes that is profoundly complex an ornate, and I cannot wait to get involved myself. However, at a whopping 800pages and then some, I am going to be on a while reading it. That is, when I eventually get round to starting it at all!

Extra Purchases

Megan Olivier, a BootTuber I follow, announced she was having a book clearout and wanted to sell some of her books on ebay. So I thought I would go for a wander over there and see whether there was anything worth bidding on. I am so pleased I did, as I can announce I have won two bidding wars in order to get two wonderful books.

The books I won were:


Between Shades of Gray - Ruta Sepetys
The Girl In The Red Coat

Now, I am currently reading Between Shades of Gray and I am loving it. I need to find the time to just be able to sit and read it and get it finished so I can post a review for you guys!

Both of these books are centred around war. One is the story of a Latvian girl, the other a little girls journey through life, perhaps the most heartbreaking war story to come out of WW2 next to Anne Frank. If you have seen Schindlers List, you will recognise the image on the cover of the book.. This image is a replica of a still of "the girl in the red coat" from the black and white film Schindlers List. This little girl can be seen in a specific scene amongst number of Jews living in Ghettos in a German-occupied Poland. The author - Roma Ligocka - attended a screening of Schindlers List when it was first released, and knew in an instance this little girl was her.

From that alone, I wanted to know more. I cannot wait to read TGITRC after BSOG, and I will definitely tell you all about it!

So, that is is for my little mini haul! Until my next post - I wish you all well!

***** have you read any of the books I've mentioned? Or from these purchases could recommend any? Please let me know in the comments below, I love reading your comments and thoughts on the items I blog about!