Archive | March 2013

March Reads

Mar9

A new month! Another stack of books to get through! Here’s what I’m hoping to accomplish reading this month:

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

Black Spring by Alison Croggon

Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Change by Soraya Lane

Heidi by Johanna Spryi (ebook)

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher (ebook – ARC)

Most of these books are for review for this blog, but the others that aren’t, you’ll find my reviews on Goodreads. Apologies for the photo quality. I’m currently in the middle of sorting out a new room. Moving in London is never easy!

Happy reading!

Ashley xx

Literary Inspired Item: Literary Tea from Bag Ladies Tea

Mar7

There are two beverages that will always be interlinked with reading or writing. One is alcohol and the other is tea.

This month I want to direct attention to Bag Ladies Tea – lovely novel inspired tea.

Who doesn’t love a good cuppa that’s surrounded by beautiful words from the talent Jane Austen and C. S. Lewis? Brewed with intellect in mind this range of teas are just want any reader or writer wants on a cold winter morning. True it’s supposed to be Spring but here in London we’ve had snow flurries dancing even at the end of February.

Unfortunately I don’t think believe Bag Ladies Tea ship to the UK. They currently only cover the US, Australia and Canada. But one can hope and dream they will ship to England in the future. For the time being I can always purchase some for when I make my annual trip home. It’s good to plan ahead!

I love this idea of enjoying a favourite drinks mixed with another’s passion. Oh yes, why I’d love another cup please.

Photos are from Bag Ladies Tea website.

Book Review: Butter by Erin Lange – Published Today!

Mar5

Being 423 lbs at sixteen isn’t easy. Butter is an outcast and secretly in love with one of the most popular girls in school, Anna. Thin, tall with long blonde hair, she’s the dream girl for many adolescent boys. A gifted musician on the saxophone, he hides on his computer under the handle ‘SaxMan’ to woo Anna behind the safety of the screen.

During a typical lunchtime period Butter gets caught between his feelings for Anna and drawing unwanted attention to himself. There’s something about lunchtime laughter that is soul crushing and Butter has had enough. He creates his own website http://www.Butterslastmeal.com. It was supposed to be a joke. Declaring his dare of eating himself to death on New Years Eve. As the countdown begins Butter gets a reaction he never expected, but mirages don’t last forever. It’s a last meal for one and the Internet will be waiting.

I was so excited to be approved for this ARC; I was instantly hooked from the premise. Sharp, clear and focused, this book doesn’t mess around. Butter isn’t a character that most readers can relate too, and more so, he’s not even likeable throughout most of the book. Butter is a typical spoiled teenager who happens to weigh over 400 pounds. This book reminded me of a scene in MTV’s Awkward, where the popular head cheerleader also happens to be overweight. She shouts at her mother while they’re shopping, her family has money and buying clothes isn’t the issue. The problem is that she can’t wear what she wants because those things don’t fit her size.

It’s such a shock to the system. There is no longer a happy medium for body size. There also isn’t praise for accepting one’s self as they are. Butter isn’t the normal case, and his journey as he grows out is fascinating. This book is so different from most of the Young Adult books out there and I praise the author for writing such a unique title.

Bullying is something that needs to be stopped, but how does one address this issue when it happens between parent and child? Or best friends? Or when the underdog is the one bullying themselves as well as others? Controversial, with a scene that will forever be burned into your mind, Butter is a league ahead of where Young Adult books need to go. You’ll be grateful your teenage years are long gone after reading this, and for those that are in the age category, this book is an example that yes things in life will get better.

Faber and Faber provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for this amazing book and many thanks to the author!

Hot off the presses today! Get your copy now:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Foyles

Tink

Mar4

Harrods. London, England. 2012. Partnered campaign with Disney. (She moved up and down the tree!)

Book Review: Anna Dress in Blood by Kendare Blake

Mar2

Theseus Cassio Lowood, or Cas as he would like to be known, is not your average seventeen-year-old guy. He’s a ghost hunter. He’s a modern day Ghostbuster if you will, but without the silly outfit and one seriously dangerous knife. Travelling with his mom and cat, Tybalt, Cas is only interested in one thing: killing ghosts. True they’re already dead, but Cas is concerned with the ones that kill the innocent. It was his father’s history and his father’s history that goes back further than Cas can remember. It’s his legacy.

Now he’s here in Canada for Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. A ghost so horrific that barely anything is known of her origin. It was just supposed to be another move to town, learn the stories and then confront the ghost to administer the final kill. Instead he comes to face with Anna, a ghost he could never have prepared for. Anna treats Cas differently, but she kills everyone else. What’s a boy to do? As Cas fights his instincts, there are other bumps that go in the night and it’s a harsh day when he realises that Anna is truly only the beginning of his problems.

What a whirlwind of a story! Many thanks to Bruce of thebookshelfgargoyle for the encouragement! I was not disappointed with this book! I don’t know what it is, but all the YA books that have a male as the main character are just simply outstanding! (Do I think this story would work just as well with the genders reversed – yes – yes I do!) Cas is an outstanding character. I loved how he had an alter ego, but that he also essentially still remained a teenage boy.

I gave this book 5 stars because it definitely deserves it, but I’ve got to put the disclaimers in there: This is not a book for tweens. There is a lot of swearing, ghostly violence and abuse. This is a crossover for those that love ghost stories and aren’t afraid of a little blood (or for that fact – a lot of blood). Please be warned readers – this book will keep you reading throughout the night. Reading under the covers with a torch (flashlight) is not the way to go. Make sure the lights are on. And that someone else is in the house. A cat might be nice too. Give this book a try, I think this is going to be a stand out series!