Wednesday 28 October 2015

Gift ideas for the Book Lovers : Postcards

Hi guys

Recently my best friend moved to Australia and the main way I've been keeping in touch with her is via postcard. This has lead to hours of searching through Etsy and Zazzle and it turns out there are thousands of book related postcards. So, I decided to share a few of my favourites from Zazzle. There may be another one later with postcards from Etsy.

She Reads Books To Live Book Lover Postcard 
by kat_parrella
$0.88

A beautiful quote by Annie Dillard "She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live." A wonderful shirt for any book loving woman or girl. In swirling curling lettering with a sweet little stack of books, this design is feminine but fun.


I Would Challenge You To A Battle Of Wits, But... Postcard
by Aristotle's Muse
$0.98

I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed. William Shakespeare quote.










Mad Hatter Funny Motivational Quote Postcard
by Kirsten Star Designs
$0.98

This design says "Screw The Box, I Think Outside The Straight-Jacket" with a public domain image of the Mad Hatter, colored in by me.










Never grow up postcard
by Randoms
$1.03

Never grow up / J. M. Barrie / Peter Pan













Tiger Lily Postcard
by nobigao
$1.28

Cat disguised as Tiger Lily from Peter PAN.


Sunday 25 October 2015

The X Factor by Ivan Sivec : Review

The X Factor by Ivan Sivec
Publication date: August 16th 2015
Published by: ICO d.o.o., Slovenia
Genres: Real Life, True Story

Confessions of a naïve fashion model.

It takes three mistakes to be swallowed up and spat out by the fashion industry.
You trust the wrong people.
You think you know everything there is to know about life.
You take drugs.

Maja started off as a regular 17-year-old high-school kid, fighting her inner insecurities while dreaming to become an actress like Marilyn Monroe.

At a party her boyfriend Klemen introduces her to a renowned modelling agent. He sees a special X Factor hidden insight her. And a great business opportunity for himself...

Fast forward a few weeks later. Maja’s charm and talent land her a modelling contract in the trendy and exciting fashion capital of Milan. She’s completely enchanted and determined to make it in the fashion world.

But things don’t turn out the way she had planned.

Exhausting long photo shoots, stressful fashion shows, strict dieting and wild parties start taking their toll on her soon enough. In desperate search for help Maja reaches out to her agent and other false friends from the fashion industry that emotionally and physically exploit her to the point where ‘Maja the Great’ is merely a shadow of her former self.

She starts battling drug addiction that ends up in a tragic event.

Maja has been finally swallowed up and spit out by the fashion industry with its endless traps. What price will the girl with the X Factor have to pay for her naivety?
The young adult novel The X Factor by the bestselling Slovenian author Ivan Sivec is based on a true story and takes the reader on a frightening journey into the world of drug addiction among teenager fashion models.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. Ivan has a unique writing style htat at the start of the book I hated but by the end I loved it. His writing style meant that you could read the book with no prior knowledge of the modelling industry.

This is a true story, so I can't really talk about the people or the plot because it really did happen to those people.

It was super interesting learning more about the modelling industry and what really happens behind the scenes. It was also fun being able to see how her culture effected her decisions. As Maja is Slovenian. It was odd seeing how differently she reacted to situations compared to what I would do.

In conclusion, it was a great read that really makes you think about what happens in the process of making fashion magazines such as vogue. It did have some mature themes but nothing was described in detail, only briefly mentioned. I'm giving this book 4/5. A very thought provoking read.

Wednesday 21 October 2015

Trick or Treat Book Tag

Hi Guys

I'm getting really excited for Halloween this year so decided to do the 'Trick or Treat Book Tag'. I first saw this on Miainnarnia but it was created by Pucksandpaperbacks. Without further ado let's get started.

1. Kit Kat Bar - An anticipated release
This is the sequel to 'Half Lies', a novella based on Gabriel before the 'Half Bad Trilogy'. I will read anything that Sally Green writes, she is one of my only auto-buy authors. I'm so happy that I don't have too wait much longer only till the 3rd November.

2. M&MS - A book with a colourful cover
'The Secret Garden' is one of my favourite books I own three different copies of it. This one is by far my favourite. It is smaller then most books and feels really old fashioned hen you read from it.

3.Milky Way - A book that made you feel all gooey in the middle
As much as I have my problems with 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before', Jenny Han really knows how to write a love story that will melt your heart. I loved Lara Jean and Peter's relationship from the get go and every twist and turn made me melt just that little bit more.

4. Sugar Babies - An underrated book
'Reckless' is my favourite series ever. I know big statement. I get that a lot of people find this book confusing, though never had that problem myself. It is a beautifully written book that really enthralled you and gets you excited and attached to the characters.
 
5. Sour Patch Kids - A book that started off sour but then got sweet
I actually put the book down numerous occasions before I forced myself to read past the first three chapters. 'Since You've Been Gone' is a really feel good book that was centred around friendship. There needs to be more books like this one.
 
6. Hersey's Kiss - Your favourite first kiss
Warning this contains spoilers for Half Wild:
My favourite first kiss is when Gabriel and Nathan kiss. I put the book down and did a little dance. It was so perfect and cute and awkward. It was also one of those rare kisses in books that really adds to the plot line.




Sunday 18 October 2015

November Reviews

Hi Guys

I know I'm meant to write a review on Sunday's but I've only read 2 books so far in October and I've already reviewed them.
My plan for November is only review books from Wattpad. As a sort of homage to nanowrimo. I constantly read new books on Wattpad. I think it is a great way to get your books out into the world without having too be published. I want to try and read as many different genres as possible. If it goes well I might do this every November.

Wednesday 14 October 2015

My Favourite Quotes

Hi guys,

I love reading posts about people favourite quotes. So, I'm finally making my own. I've limited myself to just quotes from books and only one Dr. Seuss quote. It was so hard just picking one. I will probably post another one of these at a later date but right now these are my favourites.








Sunday 11 October 2015

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han : Review

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Publication date: April 15th 2014
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genres:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.  





My Thoughts
I read 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' around 2 years ago and thought it was okay but I didn't continue on with the series. Even though I was a bit disappointed by the first book I had read of hers, I was really intrigued by 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before', It such an interesting concept.

I loved Lara Jean and Peter, though I did end up just calling her Lauren because I couldn't be bothered to read Lara Jean. I thought their relationship with so cute. I wanted them to get together from the moment he was introduced. The characters were all very well developed but I did find myself hate Lara Jean's older sister. she was quite rude.

The plot was interesting to read but it was very predictable and unoriginal. I knew the plot twist was coming the whole way through and thought Lara Jean's reaction was selfish and one-sided.

In conclusion, I don't think I like Jenny Han's writing style that much. I think she does very predictable romance stories that have been written a hndred times over. Saying that, it is nice to occasionally have a break from the depressing books that I would otherwise be reading. I'm giving 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' 3/5 stars. It is a fun cutesy contemporary, that shouldn't be to deeply looked into.

Sunday 4 October 2015

The Secret Fire by C.J.Daughtery and Carina Rozenfeld : review

The Secret Fire by C.J.Daughtery and Carina Rozenfeld
Publication date: September 10th 2015
Published by: Atom
Genres: Fantasy, YA

French teen Sacha Winters can't die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.

Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.

There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

They have eight weeks to find each other.

Will they survive long enough to save the world?


My Thoughts
I've been meaning to read a C.J Daughtery book for ages and when she came promoting her new book I knew I was going to have to get the book and find out what all the hype is. So, it is fair too say my expectations were stupidly high and amazingly my expectations were met and I'm left wishing I didn't let my friends tell me all the spoilers to 'Night School'.

The characters were really well developed I felt so connected to all of them. I thought it was great how the minor characters got tied into the bigger story. I also liked how you felt you knew the characters but you didn't know everything about them. My favourite character is Louisa and even though you find out loads about her a huge portion of her is still a mystery.

The plot was really fast paced yet at the same time it never felt like anything was just glossed over. There was never anything that I wished was more developed. It was done really well.

The ending was also really well done. It was a nice wrap up of the book yet made you want to continue the series instantly. I'm so excited for 'The Secret City', I just want it in my hands right now.

In conclusion, I was so enthralled by this book. It constantly kept me on my toes and nothing was compromised on. It was practically perfect in every way. 5/5 stars