June Wrap-up/Haul

So I know were nearing the end of July but I still thought I should include the books I read in June and also the Books I either brought for myself or I received for review.  For the books I have read, I will be giving it a rating out of 5 and a few points on what I thought about it, I won't go in depth as I'm a little late putting this up but you will get the idea.

What I read in June

So In the month of June I read a total of 6 books, not as great as in the month of May but still good going I reckon.

So I didn't pick up a book until about 10 days into June and I started with Michael Connelly's 'The Scarecrow', which was then followed by the lovely Milly Johnson's book 'Here come the boys', I then went back to Michael Connelly for 'Nine Dragons'. An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson was next, which was followed up by Sheila O'Flanagan's 'If you were me' and I finished off the month with 'Your the one that I want' by Giovanna Fletcher. 

I felt this month I had a collection of genres that I read and I loved them all, with all the books receiving either 4 or 5 out of 5.

June Book Haul 

So for me June was a Fabulous month in terms of buying/receiving  books. I received 4 books and I brought 4 books (plus all the ones in the bottom picture, but they will be explained in another post) and I managed to get  2 books free on my Kindle. 

The 2 free for my Kindle were Milly Johnson's 'Here comes the boys' and Alexandra Brown's 'Cupcakes at Carrington's' .

I received Stephan Talty's 'Hangman', Paul Doherty 'Roseblood', Adam Sternbergh's 'Shovel Ready' and finally Harry Leslie Smith's 'Harry's last stand'. The first 3 I had sent to me for review, two of which will be going up soon.

Finally I brought the 2 Milly Johnson Books, a book by Paige Toon and a book by Ali Harris. 

Overall I am happy with how much I read and received/brought in the month of June and some of the books are fab :) 

Apologies People

Hey Everyone :)

I am so sorry that I have Missing In Action for the last month, I have been extremely busy with life and of course reading :)

                                    But I am now back,  so I am now going to spend the evening catching up with my posts Including:

June Wrap up/haul

My trip to Book Cycle

Book Reviews

Hope you all enjoy :)

Sheila O’Flanagan: If You Were Me. Review

Synopsis

Carlotta O'Keefe is happily engaged to Chris and the wedding plans are coming together. Not only is she clear about her future path personally but she's also clear about her busy career too. Maybe Chris doesn't make her heart race every time she sees him, but you can't have that feeling forever can you??

But then on a trip to Seville, Carlotta runs into Luke Evans, the same Luke Evans who broke her heart so long ago she'd convinced herself she'd forgotten him. However, he is now an attractive and intriguing man, who can explain everything that happened back then. Suddenly, Carlotta's not so sure of anything any more, except that what she decides now, will shape the rest of her life.

My Thoughts :)

I was extremely happy and grateful that I was sent this to review by Headline Publishing via BookBridgr. Having read some of Sheila O'Flanagan's books previously, I knew we would be in for a treat and I was not disappointed, which I think was obvious as I started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday. This will be a spoiler free review so will not go into alot of detail and will focus on my views on the book.

I loved how at the start of the book, we dive straight into Carlotta's life. She's woken up in Seville after a meeting and realises she has over slept and there's a slight chance she could miss her train, meaning she would miss her flight  and finally leading to her missing her 'monster in law's' Dorothea's seventieth birthday party.  She also has to let her fiancée Chris down, who will surely understand....won't he??

I feel, that one of the things that Sheila excels at, is how well we can as readers relate to her characters. Whilst reading the book, I was able to imagine what the characters would look like and how they would act. It was also easy to imagine the settings with the book, such as Seville with the music playing in the background while she sits with Luke. Due to how brilliantly Sheila writes, I grew to love some characters, which at times lead to me cheering them on deep down and also wishing for a happy ending for them. It also lead to taking a dislike to some, such as  Mother In-law Dorothea. At times I felt myself telling her to be quite and to leave Carlotta alone, and hoping at some point Dorothea would be put in her place. I had a love/hate relationship with Chris, I wished at times that Chris stood up to his mother but then I also felt for him when it sometimes seemed that he came second to Carlotta after her job.

This book kept me gripped from beginning through to the very end. It also reaffirmed my favourite saying 'everything happens  for a reason'.  I would recommend this book to everyone, you definitely won't be disappointed. 5/5 stars (if I could give it more I would)

May Wrap Up

Hello Book Lovers Everywhere :)

Hope everyone has been reading lots :) So today were going to discuss the books I acquired during the month of May and also the books I read throughout May.

MAY HAUL

So In the month of May I acquired these 8 books :)

                        I have read two of these and the rest have joined my ever growing TBR list :)

Books Read throughout May

So through the month of May I read a grand total of 9 books, I know that there are only 7 books in the picture, however the one was a trilogy and therefore contained 3 books so I count it as 9 :)

The first Book I read was ‘His Dark Materials’ by Philip Pullman: The trilogy takes place across a multi verse, moving between many parallel worlds. I know I am a bit behind the times in reading this, but I’m glad I finally got around to reading this, I really enjoyed it especially how it moved between the parallel worlds. Would recommend this to anyone who hasn’t read it yet, 5/5 :-D

The second Book I read  was ‘The Murder Bag’ by Tony Parsons: Twenty years ago seven rich, privileged students became friends at their exclusive private school, Potter’s Field. Now they have started dying in the most violent way imaginable. I was gripped by this book from the very beginning, I also liked how the story was set in London, surrounding the lead Detective Max Wolfe. I am really looking forward to reading the next instalment and I hope that it’s just as good, 4/5

The Third Book I read was ‘Attachments’ by Rainbow Rowell: The book focuses around two young women who spend their hours emailing each other, discussing every aspect of their life. However, at night Lincoln, an IT guy spends his hours reading the emails between the two women. Whilst doing so he finds himself drawn into the lives of them both and falling for one of them. I found this a really quick read, but was gripping till the very end. I loved the way that although the emails were not extremely long you still found yourself finding out alot about the people involved, 5/5.

The Forth Book I read was ‘Unlucky 13′ By James Patterson: Were back once again with the Women’s Murder Club. This time two dead bodies are found inside a wrecked car on the Golden Gate Bridge, but it seems that this will not just be a simple traffic accident. While Lindsay Boxer is investigating the case, she gets the call that her ex-colleague turned ruthless killer Mackie Morales has been sighted. Another Brilliant book by James Patterson surround the Women’s Murder Club, at times it was hard to keep up with all three plot lines that were going on but I still found it a good read, 4/5.

The Fifth Book I read was ‘Gone’ by James Patterson.  Manuel Perrine doesn’t fear anyone or anything. Detective Michael Bennett had once managed to put him behind bars, but now Perrine is out and has sworn revenge on Bennett and everyone he holds dear to him. Bennett and his family are in hiding in witness protection, however the FBI leave Bennett no choice but to come out of hiding.  The one thing I do love about the Michael Bennett series, is how much we get to know his family and in cases how they play a part in the story. I found this book a bit slow at times but then at other times it was really fast paced, especially near the end, 3/5.

The Sixth Book I read was ‘A Monster Calls’ by Patrick Ness: Thirteen year old Conor, awakes at seven minutes past midnight to find a monster outside his bedroom window. However, it isn’t  the monster he has been expecting, instead his been expecting the one from his nightmare, which his had since his mother started her treatment. WOW what can I say about this book, I read this in a day as once I started it I couldn’t put it down. I don’t want to say too much about this book as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but all I’m going to say is that it is a MUST read for anyone as I absolutely loved it, 5/5 if I could give it more I would :)

The seventh Book I read was ‘Eleanor and Park’ by Rainbow Rowell:  Eleanor is the new girl in town and she feels all alone, with her mismatched clothes and red hair, she couldn’t stick out more if she tried. Then one day she takes the seat on the bus next to Park. As time goes by they found a common connection and through late night conversations and mixed tapes they fall in love.  This book was really good, it was heart-warming and heart-breaking all at the same time. I really liked how the book went into detail of the characters so you felt at times like you knew them personally and in some cases even relate to them, 4/5 I only gave it 4  starts due the ending.

So overall, I think I had a really good reading month, and it has also put me in good stead of my GoodReads reading Challenge. What books have you read in the Month of May, have you read any of my May reads, if so what did you think of them?

Until Next time…Keep Reading :)

May has gone, but June has only just begun

Helloooo Book Lovers Everywhere :):)

So May is over and what a good reading month it has been, in the next few days I will do posts about what books I have read in the month of May, with a small review included. I will also let you all know what books I brought in the month of May as well. Now I never really have a definitive tbr for each month, but I might try and compile a list of books I aim to read in the month of June.

So what did everybody ready in May, do you have any favourites that you think I should try and read, do you have any reading plans for the month of June, would love to hear from you.

Until next time….keep reading :) 

It only took me 10 Years!!!!

One day when I was browsing the Waterstones website, and I thought I would have a quick look at the events page and see if there was anything going on at the surrounding Waterstones....and low and behold there was :) :)

Harlan Coben was doing a signing on Thursday 10th April at 1pm and I couldn't believe it.  I rang up Waterstones to see if tickets were needed for the event as in some cases they are, I was informed that this was not needed and it was just a case of turning up on the day. I started following WaterstonesBham on Twitter and the excitement was building up and till the very day. I started chatting to a girl called Laura who shared the same interests as me especially when it came to Harlan Coben.

Now you may ask why I was so excited to go to that signing, well anyone who goes to signings are pretty much excited anyway, but for me it was different. I had waited 10 years for this moment, yes you read that right, 10 years. I have been reading his books for the last 10 years after I spotted one in Waterstones Bham and it intrigued me, but I am one of these people that have to read the books from the beginning, so that's what I started doing. Since the I have been captivated by his books, not able to put them down till the very end and then when they are finished I find myself with an empty hole which needs fixing with another book. When he has been here doing other signings I have been unable to go due to University or work so I knew this was my chance.

So I had my plan of action for the day, I was going to get up early, catch the bus into Birmingham city centre, so I would get there for 9:30am when the shop opened, which meant I was able to buy the book and then get in the queue. What I didn't realise is that I would be the whole queue till around 11am. 

 

 So this was my view whilst I was standing there all alone, it wasn't too bad though as members of staff from Waterstones kept coming out to see if there was a queue left and we ended up having some little chats, one being about how early I was, my reply was I've waited 10 years to meet him, a few hours outside is nothing :) People then started to arrive, and not long after 11 Laura turned up with her mom. She had met Harlan at previous book signings but was still excited for today. A member of staff came round with post-it notes for us to write the name we would like signed in our books. As time passed, all of a sudden someone shouted, there he is, and there he was just casually walking down the street to the shop with his publisher. After about 10 minutes of him arriving, it was our time to go in, I was sooooo nervous, I get nervous anyway when I meet someone famous, but I think because I had waited so long to meet him, it just meant that little bit more. 

So with book and camera in hand I made my way down to where he was about to start signing, the staff were brilliant and it seemed they each had their own job, one was ready to take pictures another was ready to take the book off you to pass it to Harlan. So I nervously walked up to him and shook his hand, he could tell I was really nervous and thanked me for coming. I then went onto explain to him that I had waited for this moment for 10 years and I had been waiting outside for nearly 4 hours which he couldn't believe. He was so lovely and really has a lot of time for his fans, we had a picture done and after he said to make sure it was fine and if it wasn't then to come back.

                                                   Me and Harlan Coben :) :) :) :) 

My signed book :) 

I was so happy to have met him, I then decided to go upstairs to the Crime Fiction floor to see if they had one of his books I've struggled to get hold of and it was there, I went to pay for it and the lady at the till asked if I knew that he was downstairs doing a signing. Which lead to me telling her the story of me waiting 10 years and that I had already been down and that I was first in the queue. She then pulled out from behind the till one of the poster boards which the put up, which advertises the signing, she asked if I wanted it as they normally get put in the bin after as they have no use for them, So of course I grabbed it with both hands. I then went back downstairs and rejoined the back of the queue to get the other book signed and also to see if you would sign the poster board. I did inform him when it was my turn again, that I wasn't stalking him and I wasn't crazy (well maybe a little) but just that I was making the most of this wonder day. 

 

      My signed poster board, in which he signed it 'To Kim, the coolest person I know'.

Overall this was one of the best days ever, I had waited 10 years for it and it was worth the wait. Harlan Coben was so lovely and really appreciates his fans. The staff at Waterstones were so friendly and welcoming you couldn't have wished for a better day.  It will be a day that I always remember :) 

Busy Reading

Now since my last post on the 12th May, I have just been busy reading (isn't everyone) 

At that point I had just started reading the third book in the trilogy 'His Dark Materials' which is The Amber Spyglass. 

Since then I have read 4 books, which also includes The Amber Spyglass, so I think I'm doing pretty well this month :) This takes my total of books read this month to 6.

Now I was going to give an update as to what 4 books I have read, but I am going to leave that till I do my May wrap up, where I will reveal the books I have read throughout the month and my views on the books.

I am hoping to finish my current book today, which then gives me 6 more days till the end of the month, so maybe I can read another 1 or 2 within those 6 days.

So as I'm not doing a post about the books I have been reading, I am instead going to do one about an event I went to in April and also one I am attending in July :)

Currently Reading

I thought I would give you an insight into the book I am currently reading, which is 'His dark Materials' by Philip Pullman. This is a trilogy which includes

1. Northern Lights
2. The Subtle Knife
3. The Amber Spyglass

Now I know I'm a little late to the party when it comes to this book, but I think better late than never :)

I tried reading these books last year, but couldn't get into them, think this was due to me being preoccupied with my final year of University. So for my Birthday a couple of weeks ago my bf brought me the trilogy in the lovely cover which can be seen below.

Such a pretty cover :)

If you take the dust jacket off, it reveals what resembles an old Library book, this edition is the only hardcover omnibus of the series and is a contemporary classics edition. 

I started this book on the 27th April and have so far read Northern Lights and also The Subtle Knife, which works out a book a week so I think I am doing well. I am really enjoying it this time around and will be sad when I finish the last book, I am really glad that I decided to give this another go and I just love how pretty the cover is.

Has anyone else read this trilogy, what are you thoughts??

I'm back :)

So I started this blog with the intention of posting weekly updates, about what is going on in my life. Well as you can probably tell from the very few posts I have posted, I didn't get very far. This was for many reasons, the main one being that I didn't have much going on in my life apart from Job searching (and I don't want to bore you all with that) so this blog kind of came to a stand still until now :)

Now I still don't have a job, (am working hard at finding one) but I have decided to focus this blog on something that I love dearly BOOKS!!!!

One of my previous posts I did was surrounding my books, which was in January where I re-organised my bookcase and counted my books which at the time was a total of 189, however....since then my collection has grown ever so slightly.....ok maybe I've been buying quite a few books, so soon I will do a new post in regards to my book shelves and the amount of books that I have.

So what will this blog now focus on I hear you ask, well my book lovers I will talk about:

• The books I have brought that week/month, 
• What I am reading for the week, 
• Goodreads
• The books I have read throughout the month
• Reviews of books
• Book Challenges (like the YouTube book tags but just in blog form)
• Books I am looking forward to reading/books coming out
• Book signings/Events
• My favorite book shops
• Book recommendations 

I look forward to discussing all things books with you all :) any suggestions on book challenges then let me know and I will do my best to do them (no videos though...well not just yet)   

GRADUATION!!!!

So I know it's been a while since I was last on here but I have been a little busy. But I promise to be around more from now on.

So on the 16th January 2014 it was Graduation Day :) Even though we finished University in June, our University decides that Graduation should take place in January 6 months after we have finished. Despite the long wait, it was a lovely day :)

(Me, after the ceremony)

It was lovely to catch up with everyone again and to see how they are all getting on. 

Then the following day on 17th, it was Tim's Graduation, and I managed to get a ticket :) 

                                                              

                                                            (Me and Tim, on his Graduation)

I had a lovely two days, and it was a shame when it came to an end 

xx

It's been a while!

So it's been a few days since I was last on here, and a busy week it has been.

Firstly I went to see Frozen while I was still in Portsmouth, and I absolutely loved this film, I want my own little snowman :)

On Sunday I left Portsmouth and travelled back to Birmingham, an extremely long 5 1/2 hours on the coach, especially as the coach was so hot and stuffy.

As I have a lot of books and I like them to be in order, I decide on Monday to take all my books off my bookcase so I could sort them out.

(this was the end result)

Myself and Aimee (my sister) then spent time putting all the books I owned into the correct order via author/series. 

This was the final result :) My book case containing all my books that I own. I did a quick count and realised that I own 189 books. 

I also organised all my candles and it turns out that I have 304 candles, I think it's fair to say I should be on a wax buying ban, but maybe not a book buying ban :).

A week today, will be my Graduation, after four years of hard work, and having to wait since last June when we actually finished University it will be good to finally be able to Graduate. Still don't have anything to wear though :/ am going shopping on Saturday though and will find something :D 

Books, Boots and other pretty things!!

So today while the other half was at work, I went and did a little bit of shopping :)

Now the first two items I brought was these two books which were on my list of books to buy as I am trying to obtain the whole collection from certain authors, these were from a charity shops and only cost me £3.50 for the pair :D.

Next stop was Waterstones, which I 'fell' into and I picked up these two books which in my defense were on buy one get one half price, I have been told by my sister on countless occasions that I needed to read the book by John  Green so now I can :)

 Now due to my other half deciding yesterday that he wanted to go for a walk (in all the wind and the rain may I add lol) my boots decided it didn't like the weather and started to split (think they were on the way out anyway) so today I had to buy some new boots, which are near enough the same as my other ones, (I do want to get a black pair at some point though)

 Following on from the boots crisis, I found myself in the 'craft section' of TKMAX :P I managed to bag myself a 12x12 paper pad from American crafts of the Front Porch collection, and I also bagged a collection pack which includes 18 double sided sheets of 12x12 paper and a pack of black thickers, this is from the collection from Dear Lizzy called Lucky Charm, which is super cute and I already have some of the embellishments to go with the collection.

 And finally, after around two years of wanting to get this Pandora charm I have finally managed to get a hold of it, I think it is super cute and just perfect for a Gingerbread lover like myself.

Now after a busy day of shopping, I am now going to spend the rest of the night reading my book, nearly finished it and only started it last wk :)

xx

2014 and things to come :)

So it's now 2014 and what better way to start off the new year than by starting off a brand new blog eeekkkkk.

This blog will be filled with posts surrounding all the things me, ranging from what books I have brought, to what I am reading, to reviews on books I have read. What candles I am burning (Huge Yankee Candle fan), to what crafting projects I am working on.

Along side these fun posts will be general posts about life, from job searching to job searching, Graduation and family :) 

Look forward to taking you along with me on this journey :)
xx