So here are all the books I read in September/October/November/December 2014:
The Fault In Our Stars By John Green
29th August - 4th September
*****
5 out of 5 stars
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane By Neil Gaiman
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Wednesday 31 December 2014
September/October/November/December Wrap Up
Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to my September/October/November/December 2014 Wrap Up!
Review: All I Want For Christmas by Claudia Carroll
Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to my Review of All I Want For Christmas.
* 1 out of 5 stars
All I Want For Christmas, is a prequel to Love Me or Leave Me. When reading it I didn't realise it was a prequel. This book is basically the synopsis with a bit extra padding.
I thought this book was rubbish. I was really confused all through this book, the little snippets of different stories didn't really interest me. Based off this prequel I would say that I am not going to read Love Me Or Leave Me, but the stories might make more sense being fully written.
(WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS)
Title:
All I Want For Christmas
Author:
Claudia Carroll
Publisher:
Avon
Date Published:
25th November 2014
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Pages:
21
Synopsis:
Christmas with the one you love. It’s going to be perfect … isn’t it?
Three couples. Three Christmases. One perfect day!
In three days Lucy and Andrew will to fly to Mexico for their beautiful wedding. What’s a twenty-year age gap when you’re this in love? Christmas dinner feels like the perfect occasion to introduce the two families to each other. What could possibly go wrong?
Workaholic Jo Hargreaves spends most of her Christmas day wondering where her unreliable new husband is.
Dawn and Kirk spend hours slaving over a mung-bean based vegan festive lunch - but Dawn’s mum is struggling to keep her true feeling to herself.
Can these three couples manage the magical Christmas they’ve been dreaming of?
Three couples. Three Christmases. One perfect day!
In three days Lucy and Andrew will to fly to Mexico for their beautiful wedding. What’s a twenty-year age gap when you’re this in love? Christmas dinner feels like the perfect occasion to introduce the two families to each other. What could possibly go wrong?
Workaholic Jo Hargreaves spends most of her Christmas day wondering where her unreliable new husband is.
Dawn and Kirk spend hours slaving over a mung-bean based vegan festive lunch - but Dawn’s mum is struggling to keep her true feeling to herself.
Can these three couples manage the magical Christmas they’ve been dreaming of?
Source:
Kindle book I purchased for myself.
Date Read:
15th December- 16th December 2014
Review:
* 1 out of 5 stars
All I Want For Christmas, is a prequel to Love Me or Leave Me. When reading it I didn't realise it was a prequel. This book is basically the synopsis with a bit extra padding.
I thought this book was rubbish. I was really confused all through this book, the little snippets of different stories didn't really interest me. Based off this prequel I would say that I am not going to read Love Me Or Leave Me, but the stories might make more sense being fully written.
Review: Killer Christmas by Harper Lin
Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to my Review of Killer Christmas.
*** 3 out of 5 stars
Killer Christmas is the first book in An Emma Wild Holiday Mystery series. Its is about a famous singer called Emma Wild, who has just recently split up from her movie star boyfriend Nick Doyle. She decides she is going home to spend Christmas with her family in Hartfield. She goes to her Sisters cafe, where after she orders her hot chocolate, she bumps into someone who claims to be her biggest fan, they talk for a short while until their orders are ready. They both pick up their drinks, the girl that Emma had just been talking to takes a sip of hers and falls down dead. The police arrive to investigate, Emma finds out that the dead girls name was also Emma and that she had also taken the wrong drink, so they now think that someone was trying to kill Emma Wild. Emma takes it into her own hands to try and track down the killer herself. With the help of the Chief detective who also happens to be her ex-boyfirend from high school, they work out that the killer is a widower called Kendra, who lives opposite Emma Wild's parents and who went to school with her. She blames Emma for her husband committing suicide, because he would constantly listen to her songs, so had planned to poison her with the cyanide that also killed her husband.
I thought this book was okay. I liked that this was a very quick paced story and that we didn't have to wait for ages before finding out who the killer was. I also liked the cliffhanger of an ending, which really makes me want to read the next book in the series.
My favourite part of this book is when Sterling, the chief detective tells Emma, why he broke her heart all those years ago and confesses that he still loves her. But as he is kissing her, her movie star ex Nick turns up with a ring asking her to marry him. My favourite character is Sterling because he was so considerate to Emma's dreams when they were together in high school, and that he finished with her so that she would follow her dreams instead of putting them on hold for him.
Overall, I thought this book was alright. I will be continuing with this series just because of the great cliffhanger. I will probably only recommend this book if people are looking for quick winter read.
(WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS)
Title:
Killer Christmas
Author:
Harper Lin
Publisher:
Harper Lin Books
Date Published:
8th December 2013
Genre:
Contemporary Mystery
Pages:
71
Chapters:
18
Synopsis:
After breaking up with hunky movie star Nick Doyle, Grammy Award-winning singer Emma Wild returns to her hometown for Christmas to get away from it all. In Hartfield, a small town in Ontario, Canada, she gets caught up in a murder case after a fan's drink is poisoned at the Chocoholic Cafe, owned by Emma's sister Mirabelle.
Source:
Kindle book I purchased myself.
Date Read:
16 December- 26th December 2014
Review:
*** 3 out of 5 stars
Killer Christmas is the first book in An Emma Wild Holiday Mystery series. Its is about a famous singer called Emma Wild, who has just recently split up from her movie star boyfriend Nick Doyle. She decides she is going home to spend Christmas with her family in Hartfield. She goes to her Sisters cafe, where after she orders her hot chocolate, she bumps into someone who claims to be her biggest fan, they talk for a short while until their orders are ready. They both pick up their drinks, the girl that Emma had just been talking to takes a sip of hers and falls down dead. The police arrive to investigate, Emma finds out that the dead girls name was also Emma and that she had also taken the wrong drink, so they now think that someone was trying to kill Emma Wild. Emma takes it into her own hands to try and track down the killer herself. With the help of the Chief detective who also happens to be her ex-boyfirend from high school, they work out that the killer is a widower called Kendra, who lives opposite Emma Wild's parents and who went to school with her. She blames Emma for her husband committing suicide, because he would constantly listen to her songs, so had planned to poison her with the cyanide that also killed her husband.
I thought this book was okay. I liked that this was a very quick paced story and that we didn't have to wait for ages before finding out who the killer was. I also liked the cliffhanger of an ending, which really makes me want to read the next book in the series.
My favourite part of this book is when Sterling, the chief detective tells Emma, why he broke her heart all those years ago and confesses that he still loves her. But as he is kissing her, her movie star ex Nick turns up with a ring asking her to marry him. My favourite character is Sterling because he was so considerate to Emma's dreams when they were together in high school, and that he finished with her so that she would follow her dreams instead of putting them on hold for him.
Overall, I thought this book was alright. I will be continuing with this series just because of the great cliffhanger. I will probably only recommend this book if people are looking for quick winter read.
Review: All I Want For Christmas by Amy Silver
Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to my Review of All I Want For Christmas.
***** 5 out of 5 stars
All I Want For Christmas, is a standalone novel. It is about a widowed mother called Bea, who owns a little cafe/deli called The Honey Pot. Oliva, a successful journalist, who is a regular in The Honey Pot gets knocked down outside the cafe by a cyclist. Bea helps Oliva into the cafe to sit down and have a drink after her ordeal, they are interrupted by a rude, stuck up female Lawyer called Chloe. Oliva occidentally takes Chloe's purse home, so both she and Chloe go to The Honey Pot the next day, Chloe to ask if anyone had seen her purse and Oliva to say thanks to Bea before going to hand in the purse to the police. Chloe starts having a go at Oliva for taking her purse, so Bea tells her to leave. Over the next few days their paths all cross with each others, and even tough at first both Bea and Oliva really dislike Chloe they soon realise that she isn't really that bad and is actually very lonely. Soon the three women are very good friends. And they all have the best Christmas ever.
I thought this book was really good. I really like the way that these three completely different women, go from complete strangers to the best of friends in just a matter of days. I also like that we get to see things from each woman's point view.
My favourite part of this book is when Sam, Bea's next door neighbour comes home on Christmas Eve, and Bea finally admits to herself and him that she loves him, and they get to spend Christmas together. My favourite character is Bea Marinelli because she has had a troubled past to which I could relate to, and she has changed her life for the better and is finally happy again.
Overall, I thought this book was excellent. I would love there to be more books written about Bea and her friends as I would love to learn more about her future. I think I will definitely be trying other books by this author. And I will almost certainly recommend this book to other people.
(WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS)
Title:
All I Want For Christmas
Author:
Amy Silver
Publisher:
Arrow
Date Published:
25th November 2010
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Pages:
325
Chapters:
12
Synopsis:
Twelve days and counting...
It's Bea's first Christmas with her baby son, and this year she's determined to do everything right. But there is still so much to do: the Christmas menu needs refining; her café, The Honey Pot, needs decorating; and she's invited the whole neighbourhood to a party on Christmas Day. She really doesn't have time to get involved in two new people's lives, let alone fall in love...
When Olivia gets knocked over in the street, however, Bea can't help bringing her into The Honey Pot and getting to know her. Olivia's life is even more hectic than her own, and with her fiancé's entire family over from Ireland for Christmas, she shouldn't be lingering in the cosy warmth of Bea's café. Chloe, on the other hand, has nowhere else to go. Her affair with a married man has alienated her friends, and left her lonelier than ever.
But Christmas is a magical time, and in the fragrant atmosphere of The Honey Pot, anything can happen: new friends can be made, hearts can heal, and romance can finally blossom...
It's Bea's first Christmas with her baby son, and this year she's determined to do everything right. But there is still so much to do: the Christmas menu needs refining; her café, The Honey Pot, needs decorating; and she's invited the whole neighbourhood to a party on Christmas Day. She really doesn't have time to get involved in two new people's lives, let alone fall in love...
When Olivia gets knocked over in the street, however, Bea can't help bringing her into The Honey Pot and getting to know her. Olivia's life is even more hectic than her own, and with her fiancé's entire family over from Ireland for Christmas, she shouldn't be lingering in the cosy warmth of Bea's café. Chloe, on the other hand, has nowhere else to go. Her affair with a married man has alienated her friends, and left her lonelier than ever.
But Christmas is a magical time, and in the fragrant atmosphere of The Honey Pot, anything can happen: new friends can be made, hearts can heal, and romance can finally blossom...
Source:
Phyiscal book received as a gift.
Date Read:
28th December- 30th December 2014
Review:
***** 5 out of 5 stars
All I Want For Christmas, is a standalone novel. It is about a widowed mother called Bea, who owns a little cafe/deli called The Honey Pot. Oliva, a successful journalist, who is a regular in The Honey Pot gets knocked down outside the cafe by a cyclist. Bea helps Oliva into the cafe to sit down and have a drink after her ordeal, they are interrupted by a rude, stuck up female Lawyer called Chloe. Oliva occidentally takes Chloe's purse home, so both she and Chloe go to The Honey Pot the next day, Chloe to ask if anyone had seen her purse and Oliva to say thanks to Bea before going to hand in the purse to the police. Chloe starts having a go at Oliva for taking her purse, so Bea tells her to leave. Over the next few days their paths all cross with each others, and even tough at first both Bea and Oliva really dislike Chloe they soon realise that she isn't really that bad and is actually very lonely. Soon the three women are very good friends. And they all have the best Christmas ever.
I thought this book was really good. I really like the way that these three completely different women, go from complete strangers to the best of friends in just a matter of days. I also like that we get to see things from each woman's point view.
My favourite part of this book is when Sam, Bea's next door neighbour comes home on Christmas Eve, and Bea finally admits to herself and him that she loves him, and they get to spend Christmas together. My favourite character is Bea Marinelli because she has had a troubled past to which I could relate to, and she has changed her life for the better and is finally happy again.
Overall, I thought this book was excellent. I would love there to be more books written about Bea and her friends as I would love to learn more about her future. I think I will definitely be trying other books by this author. And I will almost certainly recommend this book to other people.
Sunday 21 September 2014
July/August 2014 Haul!
Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to my Book Haul for July/August 2014!
(Clicking on the picture takes to the corresponding Goodreads page)
Physical Books
These are all the Physical Books that I acquired this month!
Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness
(Purchased from Tesco)
Buy Now:
Shadow Of Night by Deborah Harkness
(Purchased from Tesco)
Buy Now:
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
(Received from a friend)
Buy Now:
AudioBooks
These are all the AudioBooks that I purchased this month!
The Finisher by David Baldacci
(Purchased from Audible)
Buy Now:
The Boy That Never Was by Karen Perry
(Purchased from Audible)
Buy Now:
The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
(Purchased from Audible)
Buy Now:
July/August 2014 Wrap Up!
Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to my July/August 2014 Wrap Up!
So here are all the books I read in July/August 2014:
City Of Heavenly Fire By Cassandra Clare
3rd July - 19th August
*****
5 out of 5 stars
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Review: Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris
Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to my Review of Midnight Crossroad.
(WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS)
 |
Title:
Midnight Crossroad
Author:
Charlaine Harris
Publisher:
Orion Publishing Group
Date Published:
8th May 2014
Genre:
Paranormal Mystery
Pages:
315
Chapters:
39
Synopsis:
Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It’s a pretty standard dried-up western town.
There’s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There’s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there’s new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he’s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own).
Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth...
There’s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There’s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there’s new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he’s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own).
Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth...
Source:
Audiobook purchased myself from Audible
Date Read:
11th May - 31st May 2014
Review:
***** 5 out of 5 stars
Midnight Crossroad is the first book in the Midnight Texas Trilogy. It is about Manfred Bernardo, a psychic who moves to the quiet town of Midnight. He soon becomes friendly with some of the locals; Bobo, Fiji, Joe, Chuey, Lamuel and Olivia. The whole town goes on a picnic to bring the community closer together, while there Fiji makes a horrific discovery, the dead body of Bobo's ex girlfriend Aubrey. Everyone, Bobo included had believed that Aubrey had left her boyfriend of her own accord, they never expected her to show up dead. The police start their investigations, questioning all the locals of their whereabouts on that fateful day, and also asking if they know the whereabouts of Bobo, their main suspect. From the investigations it becomes known that Aubrey was part of an organisation called 'Men Of Liberty', that is after Bobo as they think he has a stash of guns that his grandfather collected while he was part of the organisation many years previously. This leads Manfred, Fiji and Bobo to suspect that the organisation is to blame for Aubrey death. They take matters into their own hands and try to investigate some of the gang members. Which ultimately leads to Fiji getting kidnapped by one of the leaders of the organisation. Manfred, Bobo, and The Rev with the help of Mr Snuggly the cat rescue Fiji. On their return to Midnight, they are informed that they have received a confession to Aubrey's murder from a local teenage boy whose family has packed up and left Midnight to protect the boy. They find out that this is not the first time that the boy has killed, he is a very strange boy, who obviously has some mental health problems, so the whole town decide to keep this confession brushed under the carpet, with all the other secrets this town seem to have.
I thought this book was really good. I really liked the mystery aspect of the storyline, how we are kept in the dark about who the murderer is, and how we a lead to suspect nearly everyone in the town at some point, until the very end. I also like the description of the town, especially the way the author makes it seem very mysterious.
My favourite part of this book is when Fiji is abducted and Mr Snuggly (Fiji's cat) informs the Rev so he can save her. I like this part because throughout the book I always got the feeling that there was something very suspicious about Mr Snuggly, so when we discover in this part that he can talk, it suddenly makes sense. My favourite character is Bobo Winthrop because he doesn't take his friends for granted and is very thankful to them when they believe in him and support him.
Overall, I thought this book was excellent. I will absolutely be continuing with the rest of the series when it is released. I will definitely recommend this to other people, especially to lovers of the authors previous work.
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