Reviewing... [39] Disconnect

Ooh, I like the author note that says about reviewing it... Book bloggers do that anyway but well... I was asked to give feedback, whether I liked it or not (after I'd picked it up of my own accord & told the author :P) so... TA-DA! Massive shocker, a review :O How dare I post one of those? What even are reviews?! (OK, enough of the sarcasm...)

Reviewing... [39] Source: At the time, the whole of Disconnect was free on Goodreads, no strings attached. Author: Imran Siddiq  Recommended for: Strong Sci-Fi & Post-Apocalyptic fans, I don't think just being a dystopia fan will mean you'll love it, but you're welcome to try as you'll at least like it I reckon. If you like chick-flick (that kinda romance, not the kind that doesn't matter as much as survival) don't insult this book by reading it... Just sayin'.

Firstly, admittedly, there was nothing particularly wrong with the pacing but I don’t think it was fast. Disconnect was a slow burner for a little while. There, I said it. Luckily I was just about enjoying it a third of the way through; I didn’t want to experience my first DNF (I think) this year... I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that but luckily Disconnect improved. It reached above that “Meh, am I really satisfied?” and actually jumped up a whole star, or maybe more like 1.5*!
I liked how eventually you realized the stakes were high but really... you don’t picture how bad until certain twists arrive... My balance was seriously seeming unstable at certain points. I loved this sense of adventure & was like, “YES! I CONTINUED. How could I not have enjoyed this?” So yeah, it improves steadily & if it does that, there are hopes for the sequel. But, I’m not sure I will read it... I have so much to read & this honestly sounded better than it was... It’s my fault for putting weight on so many books!? I'd be happy to take sequels but not to read straight away (also cos a. I don't have the time as I literally have too many books which are a priority first b. the cliffhanger didn't kill me, YAY!).

I know it sounds bad, lame etc. but after that I’m trying to think about the non-likes, I can think of more likes but can I come back to them once I've nailed down why this just wasn't a hit for me?... At some points I just was exhausted with the book and didn't want to read another page. Was it really that awful? Well, no. THERE WAS A ROSA THOUGH. Yeah... I'm going to talk about typical names. Hypothetically. This is a review, but imagine me rambling about that. I'm not going to rant (rejoice, you're saved!) because their was creativity... It was just used up in other areas. I believe Rosa is blonde; just a statement I hope you will understand better in a second (I know it's a common hair colour but actually in fiction there are so many blondes & gingers... I've met more brunettes/black-haired people than those IRL... realistic? NO!)
She annoyed me until well... I’ll be vague and say, A THING happened. When you get to it you’ll know, I hope. How was she?... Oh, there’s a reason a reason she seems like a Mary Sue. *shudders* Rosa would be bad as a protagonist, I believe. She'd probably whine & remember, although bad things happened, she should've been portrayed as the lucky one...

She is like that for a reason, I suppose. Some people are just that annoying; it's worse when those people who are really lucky but moan & stuff are real... She had troubles but it always struck me how they might just be there so both her & Zach had a reason to need each other & come to like each other (it was fairly slow which is good & realistic when they meet very few times face-to-face). She gets stronger & develops. As does the amazing Zach, who copes well will things, but not too well. He cries, and has boy-tantrums... He has an android as his friend and is generally too good for Rosa in my opinion. Zach is also one of the most realistic guys I’ve read about. He seemed so... down to earth? Sure, he was impulsive & not the most likeable but for once I felt like I liked a fictional guy... for some other reason than a description of looks. Although he was likeable, very few people liked him properly. It's easy to feel sorry for him & the relationship with Rosa was convenient... Or was it? It's not when everyone thinks there shouldn't be one & thinks she's too good for him (as you know, I think... WRONG!). Seriously, are we supposed to side with that girl? He’s that lower class kid, known as an underworlder literally in this futuristic novel. I am in awe of how the politics has been entwined without taking over the story...
It's not really political but the last thing I wanted to come back to was about was "multicultural characters". It was soft but Imran did it, perhaps not coming from a typical white, conservative (don’t mean in ‘voting’ way) family but even so- I loved just the subtle differences. These characters weren’t all white. Does Bhavini, just the name, seem like a typical white girl to you or maybe someone with darker skin? I don’t care what shade but she was not your typical ‘Mary’, ‘Amy’ (not afraid to use my name as an example, I’m also featured in Maths, Science or whatever papers a lot! Look out for me & my algebra-related pineapples!) or ‘Rose’. Yes, I had to take a stab at the name Rose. I like it, but it seems very western, I don't know why. I just picked a flower name maybe as well? ;)

Amy Bookworm (@Amy_Bookworm) rated this book: 

WWW (3 things Wednesday w/ review... [38])

Today, I'm also doing WoW @ Once Upon A Series- please check it out!

WWW Wednesday's is hosted by Should Be Reading.

We just answer the following three (3) questions…

What are you currently reading?

Third  I've read the previous book in the Sky Song Trilogy,
What did you recently finish reading? (Obviously not all of the below were read this week, because I haven't blogged a lot in the last three weeks- less posts than the amount of books below which I've read- I decided to list all six read since 3 weeks ago today, the day a special Summer reading Challenge begun. One can read more about that here. Due to lack of blogging time & so forth, only the first three books' reviews have been posted so far- Outside's review was not posted separately here due to the negative rating*)



• What do you think you’ll read next?
Hopefully I'll like this as much as Red Rock and its 4*/5* predecessors (or should I say pre-reads?) & more than...

*I mentioned one of my recent reviews... Outside: Source: Received this for review. Author: Shalini Boland Recommended for: People who like surprises? Rated: 1.5 stars. Goodreads review continued here...

Excerpt of review: I must admit to expecting a little more. One thing that bugged me was how the book is told from Riley's perspective & Eleanor's. I was expecting to find out pretty soon how they were connected. Well, we found out so late in the novel & I felt disappointed; I didn't get why we'd needed to know about both of their lives. Every time it was exciting with Riley- BAM... You guessed it, Eleanor would suddenly appear. She seemed quite a flat character if I'm honest. 

Interviewing Rita @ Weaving Pages: It's Good To Be Crazy

The motto of this interview is: it's OK if you are crazy when interviewing someone. Especially if it's Rita. But it's not exclusive to Rita... I know a lot of other crazy bloggers... But this isn't about them, this is about my book-pushing buddy who always screams her pride, from rooftops, when I read books she suggested.

Sounds like a normal book blogger, right? Yup- I'm interviewing my first book blogger. Rita may be a fairly new blogger but who cares? As the months stack on to her blog, and the months in which we've been friends increase, the blog she has nurtured is really getting out there. I know it has lots of fans already as it truly does stand out and frankly she's an awesome book-lover; as I said, Rita has been known to push books. This amazing gal also shares my love for GIFs, craziness & is so thoughtful.

If being owner of one of my favourite blogs, Weaving Pages, isn't enough... wait for it, she does steal book boyfriends :P If you like, and can handle, creative crazy people Rita will never fail to put a smile on your face (: I'm so happy she's stopped by and is answering some of my questions (bolded).

Image sources for this post: Tumblr, Fanpop, Google free
use & own images. Click on image to be directed.

If you could have only one of your five senses, which would you keep?
Probably my sight because then I would still be able to read and see the world!! But then, I wouldn't be able to hear film adaptations of books.....Or be able to stroke or smell books OR taste food.........*cries in despair* This is a mean question, Amy!

Hehe... I can't promise I'll be getting nicer! 

*pats on back* If you could be best friends with any fictional character, who would you choose?
There are so many!!!! I'm going to break the rules and tell you all of them: Katniss from The Hunger Games, Isabelle from The Mortal Instruments, Teresa from The Maze Runner. How's that? They are all pretty awesome so I can't choose!

No boys as BBFs? But fictional ones are just like, ahh... Name some of your favourite book bloggers!
There are so many though.....Okay, I'll answer but I'll probably miss someone....Sorry!
Obviously there's you, (if you don't know who that is it's Amy) then there's Amber from Books of Amber, Zoe from Bookhi, Hawwa from It Was Lovely Reading You, Sunny from A Sunny Spot, Lucy from Queen of Contemporary, Sophie from A Day Dreamer's World, Debby from Snuggly Oranges, Judith from Paperiot, the list goes on and on and I'm pretty sure I've missed someone! If I talk to you on twitter, then you're on my list of awesome bloggers!


Aww, thanks! I love many of those bloggers too. On Wednesdays, you share a Wattpad story with us... Do you write stories on Wattpad or anywhere else?
No...I don't write stories on Wattpad! I do love writing though! Creative writing in English where you can describe things and write your own story is one of my favourite things to do, but we haven't really done that since primary school! :D

When you're not blogging, what do you like to do?
Reading. Haha. I like Dancing (I do ballet, and will hopefully be starting Jazz) I like watching films and being crazy. Oh, I like Dinosaurs, which means I REALLY like watching Jurassic Park

Say what...? You like reading!? :P If you could rewind to the day you started blogging, is there anything you'd say to yourself?
I'd tell myself not to worry about how many page views I'm getting and to keep on writing reviews! That eventually, all the hard work I was putting into my blog would pay off! And it has!!

Great advice to yourself! Do you have any tips to give to future book bloggers...? I'm especially interested to see if you have any regarding blog designs as yours is fab!
Well, firstly, you should get Twitter! That's how I met Amy, so everyone should definitely get it! Also, lots of websites have really cool, free templates you can use on your blog, so it's worth having a look around the Internet and finding out how to do things!

Awesome! Lastly, quick question! Sad books or funny ones?
Funny Ones!!

It's great that Rita could pop in! She's interviewed me over at her blog today as well... Check it out if you want to know why she... y'know, creates T-Shirts like this:

Rather, how did it start? Making them for me? 

Page 99 Test: After Tomorrow

Remind that I once decided that, probably not regularly, I'd rewind & take a book blast from the past? Well... why does it have to be a rewind? For once, I'm doing the Page 99 Test and using it for its correct purpose! It still doesn't have an image... Well, you can't expect me to create two in a short space of time for two different features here!

Who else does Page 99 Tests? Char @ From The Shadows I Review does (because I told her about them and being the clever one she is... BAM. Page 99 Test is up & running...) How can it decide on the quality for me before is the question now... The same thing for Char but, as I said, I previously used it as a reflection to see if it works!
Page 99 Test (for reference my first was here, this is my third). 

This test was created by Ford Madox Ford. The test makes complete sense- 99 pages is often about a quarter of the way through (give or take a little percentage of the novel). For the book I'm discussing, it's actually a third of the way through... That's good enough!
The reason I am doing a Page 99 Test, and you won't see a review, is because I have to return it to the library unread... Someone reserved it so I have to pass it on even though I had really wanted to read it. Well, I still have a lot to read but I decided this was an opportunity to still read at least a little bit of the book...

So, I present to you:

What if you woke up tomorrow and everything had changed?
Money is worthless. Your friends are gone.
Armed robbers roam the streets.

The blurb also says, 'No one is safe.' Just from life? Is life hard? Slightly futuristic, I infer. Dystopian...? Well, the Page 99 Test leads me to believe it is!

Page 98 is actually the start of Chapter 9, but I said I'd read Page 99... so I read both.
This page shows the extent to which the world has turned... well, upside down!
"Paige said, 'At least we can get water.' Then I realized there were taps there"!
See? Even water is scarce and I don't know where they are exactly, apart from on a hill which a long queue is stretching down. Then I, well the reader, approach the toilets...

Do you even want me to go into this? Well, it could be worse. "There was a long row of portaloos lined up against the fence. They had some screening beyond then and the man muttered something in French." Oh, so french people are OK? Are they in France...? 

Oh, portaloos are OK... but what are those trenches? Yuck, not enough toilets! At least there is a screen, helpful in these conditions... As I said, you get the sense it could be worse but not a lot. This is what they think is good in a way... Lack of shelter, a place to relieve themselves... I don't even want to ask when the last time they ate was! Not that I could, the book doesn't talk... And I can't read it :P

Its sort of not good enough to upset me that I can't read it, I'm less upset now if I'm honest. It was a little bit intriguing and I bet the description in this novel is good but I don't really read a book for that... I'm not drawn into the book but am not put off (there's no typos, that's always good!)

They are basically my only thoughts on that paragraph, you can tell I have sort of 'middley' feelings regarding After Tomorrow's Page 99 Test. What are you thoughts? From the quotes (and believe me I summarized all they were seeing, nothing more interesting than lack of toilets, trenches & toilets) would you want to read it?
I hope I read some better Page 99's... well, I will. I'll actually be reading the whole of some books which aren't from the library where people have the right to annoy the heck out of me by... O.o Well, OK! They do have the right. Enough ranting! Enough of this post.
Be gone with you! Jokes, I don't want you to leave before you've told me your thoughts *folds arms and waits*

#MurderOnTheBeach Tour: Kate Harrison’s Top Summer Reads

Today I'm happy to announce that Kate Harrison has dropped in, obviously she's a UKYA author but she's allowed to escape beyond that. In case you haven't heard of '#murderonthebeach' it's a twitter & blog event for James Dawnson's Cruel Summer and Kate Harrison's own Summer read, Soul Storm. I'll hand you over to the lovely Kate who I am really glad to have here today... It's a list of fantastic books!

Summer reads – two of my favourite words in the entire English language, and they work even better together! So stand by for a list of the best books to help your holiday take you further than you ever dreamed…
Except, I have a confession to make. For the last few months, my reading mojo has gone AWOL. So there’s a growing pile of the brilliant books on my bedside table, and a digital traffic jam idling on my Kindle.
I became a writer because I love to read – yet writing has kept me so busy this year that I haven’t felt like opening a book. What with finishing Soul Storm, writing stories including one for the Sunlounger anthology, and doing a diet book and a cook book, I’ve mainly been vegging out watching telly!
Well, enough already! I need to get back to books. So here are my top summer reads: ones I have read and want to recommend; ones I read when I was a teenager and want to read again; and some of the most tempting titles on my to-be-read pile. Do add your own suggestions!

The ones I loved way back:


I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is a book writers often mention as a favourite. 17-year-old Cassandra writes to make sense of her eccentric family and her crazy life. It’s funny and bright and a perfect read for summer, winter, or any time.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 and ¾ by Sue Townsend – poor Adrian. You wouldn’t wish his family on anyone, or his angst, or his spots, but reading about them is the best literary fun you can have. Great history lesson if you’ve ever wondered about the 80s – your parents will probably remember it all!

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper – I’ve chosen this as a summer read because it really reminds me of holidays in Cornwall when I was a teenager. They kept me gripped on cloudy days, and I loved the huge themes and dark mood, and how the landscape was right in front of me as I read. This series focuses on mythology and a terrifying battle which puts the young hero right in the centre of the action.

The ones I’ve loved just lately: 


I must apologise to Amy for these as they’re not all UK books. I guess I’ve been craving a little escapism…

Slated by Teri Terry: I know we’re meant to be ‘all over’ dystopia by now, but Slated is so much more than a book written to fit a trendy genre. The idea of having your past life wiped from your memory is terrifying – and as Kyla discovers, it’s never quite that simple. She’s a fantastic character, trying to stay out of trouble, when what she desperately wants is to find the truth. And there are two more books in the series!

Angel and Angel Fever by L. A Weatherly – I’m not always a fan of books featuring supernatural ideas, but these are just wonderful – so intense and thrilling and they feel very ‘real’. Best of all, the final part of the trilogy has just been published. Hoorah!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith – I met Jennifer last summer and loved the idea behind this book – that someone you meet on a ‘plane journey could change everything. Her heroine isn’t perfect but that makes her seem so real – and you will be rooting for her too.

Paper Towns by John Green –the first John Green I read, and I only stumbled across it on a Kindle offer, but I instantly fell for the super-smart writing, and the voice of the main character, as he’s led on a crazy road trip by a mysterious, irresistible next-door neighbour obsessed with towns that don’t even exist.

The ones I can’t wait to dive into: 


Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein – I hate war movies featuring men in khaki, but I love stories of the resistance because women play their part, and I can imagine what I might do in their place. This adventure story set in the Second World War looks wonderful. I’ve heard nothing but great things about it.
Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach seems to touch on some of the same themes as my Soul Beach trilogy, though with a really different premise – that a girl who plans to die hires someone to pretend to be her online when she’s gone. It’s intriguing and has had a lot of publicity, so I’m interested to find out exactly how it works out!
Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher – the author of the incredibly moving My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece has come up with another amazing sounding book, about the pen pal relationship between a British teenager with a secret and a prisoner on death row. I know it’ll be original and compelling and I can’t wait to lose myself in it!
Sunlounger anthology – OK, this is cheating as I have a story in here, involving muggers, books and Barcelona, but there are stories from 40 different authors, all set in different holiday locations. As I don’t yet have a holiday booked, this is the nearest I’ll be getting to an exotic getaway. Though, as I live in Brighton, I do have one of Britain’s most fun beaches to escape to…

Reviewing... [37] Diamond Thief

Reviewing... [37] Source: I'm part of Team Fox so I received this for review. Author: Sharon Gosling Recommended for: People who do like crime but... not "gritty" crime. From gem stealing to pick pockets of London, this is crime novel, old-fashioned flair & all. Historical, "dated" crimes but still a thriller, just for those who like variety... Talking about variety, this is appropriate for such a range of ages!

Of course, crime, when the world it takes place in is all gadgets, has been explored before. But not so much... steampunk. Technology hasn't advanced yet. Entertainment is found in circus'... One in particular has travelled to London; yet all is not as it seems. The circus didn't come just to entertain wealthy Victorians. Not all are wealthy, there is a gap in the development of London. We explore much of London, rich and poor. Advancements and declines.

But first: we want to know what is happening in the circus. Transported to the circus', we realize that Rémy is totally awesome. She deals with the downfalls mentioned and comes across the advancements- both in the mystery and the development of technology. Both these elements I loved.
Discovering the inventions of a certain Professor is a delight, night-glasses and electronic means of communication... It's all very different and part of the Industrial Revolution. I've never seen this specifically explored, especially not in this way. I wasn't just in awe of  Rémy, I was in awe of the way technology was thought about, experimented with & would come to be a real invention.

Oh, BOOM. I know what that is! (:

Simply, it was fairly realistic in most parts. You know what? It's a weird thought: this could’ve been contemporary a few hundred years ago (maybe if we took some of Desai's powers away it would be completely!?).. Am I saying it’s a historical or a classic? Hehe! It’s too much of a ‘mysterious Steampunk’ to properly count (incase you're wondering what I'm jabbering on about go here*) for the SRSChallenge but I can almost imagine it being penned hundreds of years ago as an account of a young, amazing circus girl finding herself and her place in this world... Will Rémy think of France as her home still?
I can see why she had to be distanced from the Circus and am glad that emphasis was put on why she was determined and why she had to, and why Thaddeus had to, get the gem. They both have good intentions & I always felt they were genuine and realistic. Sure, they may not have been totally like what they had seemed but Rémy is clearly fiesty, with a circus upbringing which makes her so unique from other characters.
I even understood those tiny moments when the 'little policeman' would be rash & Rémy's annoyance with him amused me... probably more than it should've. I just loved the characters and how even though they were unpredictable it all slotted together & made for an amazing journey... I can't believe the standard of this debut. Or many debut's. But what specifically stands out is this: Diamond Thief was published this year, traditionally. I have heard how this year in YA is a bit like marmite. The books are either loved or hated...
Gosling's Diamond Thief? Most definitely not hated. Surprisingly, although Gosling has written more about Rémy and the sequel is set to be published by Curious Fox later on, this ends with no cliffhanger. However, this is so promising I can almost guarantee her second adventure shall be met with a great response.
The imagination and captivation has lead to, well, this (I think it says it all really... there is slight improvement for the sequel- dare I say I expect it to be mind-blowing & more risky- I don't want any characters suddenly appearing as plot devices *cough* Desai *cough*?):

Amy Bookworm (@Amy_Bookworm) rated The Diamond Thief

*I don't think I'm being mad with this... I mean, I said the book didn't feel like it was the best book ever, just a really lovely book. I can't put my finger on why... But anyway, in contemporaries often characters seem so realistic & the same for this- characterization was such a strength. Diamond Thief was, and characters with one exception especially were, realistic. They just took us back more than a century...
(Also, unrelated a bit, thanks Charli & CatHannah for letting me off one genre, I still am reading a lot of genres for this challenge... Oh, and this has been done for the 1st Challenge of SRS: Read a book you’ve been meaning to read for ages and review on your blog).

I'm doing a... SUMMER READING SMACKDOWN!

Now, you may know what this is.
*waits for someone to shout out what it is*
Well, if you're taking part: Good luck. If you're not: Good luck hiding while we cry & try to hunt you down as well. GO THROUGH THIS CHALLENGE WITH US. The highs and the lows... So far (while writing the post to publish after starting but scheduling for Friday), I can mainly report HIGHS. Doesn't that make you want to join? No? Have I not described the challenges? *sighs*
Hello and welcome to a brave woman's blog... :P Or one of them crazy teen bloggers, maybe? XD I shall attempt to (and hopefully complete) all of the following challenges:

1. Read a book you’ve been meaning to read for ages and review on your blog (Diamond Thief, Monday 12th)

2. Read one recommendation and review it on your blog (Harry Potter #1) - half completed by 11th August, review scheduled for after challenge.

3. Write a paragraph in the POV of your favourite character and share (Share link to Charlie's Letters, typed after challenge but was handwritten before)

4. Read a book from each of these genres… (and you can do a few sentences for these on one post if you want instead of reviewing!) - Although there were a specific 4 they'd prefer you to do apparently reading 4 books which between them cover 4 different genres, or more, is sufficient! YAY! :D
Genre 1 - Steampunk - Diamond Thief (so yeah, I've been meaning to review this for longer than most of the other books on my TBR, other ones of the below count as all I've had on my TBR for several months, even if I didn't own them then XD I've just frankly decided to pick a selection of ones I should read first...) Review Above
Genre 2 - Fantasy - Harry Potter #1  (Well, I don’t know... maybe I've wanted to read this for a while :P About... a dozen or more people have recommended it & I will allow the book pushers to win today. Also, it's fantasy... possibly? Just maybe. Or are Wizards real? Definitely contemporary. Definitely)
Genre 3&4 - Dystopia and Romance - Outside (Romance? Dystopian? Plain & simple! Nice fact also: wanted to read since May/June) Review
Genre 2&5- Fantasy &/ Paranormal - The Screaming Staircase (Oh, my... it’s like a fantasy, paranormal thing... All I know is that & also it's for review... :P) Review

Updates:
I'm also personally saying: Well, let's start on Tuesday. The day before. This is your update on what I've done in preparation, did I set goals? You shall see (I might really like them, hehe...)

a) I looked through books.. So hard, what do I read? I have quite a lot of choice I'll say :P I decided on:

Even though I think they're good selections I've only started one so only one is concrete... You got me? I highly doubt I'll read more than 4 books in a two-week space. I'M NOT A MACHINE-AIDED READER :P I'm fueled by books sometimes but still, SLOW READER here.

b) Decided that thinking about books may've been prep, but seriously... I'll be doing a lot of this. 
*starts thinking about books in the random way; such is a trait of book bloggers*... Hopefully I won't waste too much time thinking about them except when it's helpful (ie. recommending books, reviewing & writing notes). I want to do LOTS of reading (strange, I know). These are things I do anyway but mentally, one should start preparing themselves for how INTENSE this will be & the preparing stage should be intense too... So thinking is fine. Oh & I thought I might as well read too...


c) This truly was my preparing. Unlike the below.
Not competitive reading. Or fast. Not on the Tuesday before! Getting too ahead of myself would be bad & I could crash/burn. I began, and got close enough to 10% through, Diamond Thief... As I said, I'm still tackling DT now. But that's fine. It's my first book & as I've read hardly anything it shall count, m'kay? Think about this: At this speed, it'd take me 10 days of the challenge. Yeah, the challenge should get me to speed up...

d) tweeting (umm... it was helpful & kinda part of b, I'm obsessed, OK? I like sharing my thoughts & readings!)

e) I practiced my smacking techniques (I may or may not have googled some too... BE WARNED, the name of this challenge is serious & so am I! *DANGER*)

And then, I slept. I woke up ready to... RUMBLE! Well, you can decide if this is true from the below:

Week 1

Pre-Friday updates of the Smackdown so far... 
So, you want to hear about Wednesday & Thursday's "events"?
Pages read: Well, I'll say one day I read just over 100 pages *cheers, it's good for me!* and overall I got to page 192, excluding the pages read before I officially began I've read so far: about 165 pages
Thoughts and/or GIF's: 100 pages is sometimes achievable for me but it's quite rare so I'm happy it's happened already & hope it won't be the only time... OK, I should say it won't be.

There should be Twitter activity soon, right? C'mon... Let's get the #SRSChallenge hashtag making waves :P
Challenges completed: None, working on this! See above ^^ :D 70% through Diamond Thief, Book 1, is quite good. Cheer me on peeps!

Friday Afternoon (may complete more):

Pages read: What, just today? So far? 70(ish) pages...
Thoughts and/or GIF's: I think I’ll finish the remaining ones (14 pages I think) of Diamond Thief & call it a day... if I do I’m planning on updating my GR, maybe not this! Finishing my first book & already being lazy ;) Well, it's not like I'd receive fanfares & I’m tired- it’s not even 6pm... Gosh, I know. So, yeah, it’s likely I’ll have finished my first book on the third day (but kinda count a half as well beforehand). I have 14 days (well, more like 11 now)... There’s 4 x 3½ days in that. We’ll do this, maybe. Tackling reviewing as well *panics* Oh no.
As there wasn't even 100 pages left I haven't yet done my own mini-challenge (yet) but if I read the sampler for the sequel as well will you give me a massive hug as I’ll have read 100...? Or cookies? Charli is feeding me cookies. I’ve had 16 already. Maybe Curious Fox will just send me more books... They know I want Red Rock.


Challenges completed: None, working on this!

Weekend update (overall):

Pages read: Every single page of the first Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has 223 pages.
Thoughts and/or GIF's: 2 books completed so far! Not bad. Yes, the 'Barney Challenge' of 100+ pages in a day is done! :P I'm suddenly seeming pretty popular, lots of people seem to care about me reading that, and my thoughts on it. Well, it's been really liked (4*). Thanks for the recommendation Rita, Ruby, Zoe & Georgia... plus other potterheads who just are less pushy...
Challenges completed: On my way to complete more, but 1 is done & done one step for the 2nd, I've read a highly recommended book. DUH, it is.

Week Update, before holiday begins...
I shall be reviewing HP soon, I've done Diamond Thief & here's a review of Outside.

Book Blogger Confessions (#9): Vlogging

Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about blogging/bookish topics. If you haven't guessed the idea is to answer a question & you can share, vent and offer solutions. Ranting if the question demands it works & you'd really enjoy it if you did participate as there's a ton of respect between each other, even more than normal. We understand they are your solutions & if they work? Great. If the question isn't a hunky dory one? We're asked to:

Keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers!

Hosted by For What It's Worth and Midnyte Reader
(Grab their button and include it in your post with a link to the feature co-hosts)

So, if you want to participate here's the meme question for August 5th. You can participate any day in this following fortnight (or maybe any day throughout the month, I suggest you check out the host's blogs above!) Yes, this week I suggested the question so you kinda have to participate (jokes! But I do!)

Vlogging. Have you ever vlogged (video blogging)? Why or why not? What do think makes for an interesting vlog? How does a book review vlog compare to a written review in your opinion? What are few of your favorite book review/author vlogs? 

So many are vlogging these days. It seems like my twitter friends, people I may have met on YouTube & just random people, bookish or not, are all talking about this massive thing. It's so hyped, and it seems like I've discovered a love for Vlogging too. Wait, I should just say vloggers. I admit to finding the bookish equivalent, we know them as BookTubers, through the non-bookish, such as Charlieissocoollike. There are numerous others, some I've abandoned as I find bookish ones more interesting & others, like Charlie, who I still like to see grow & give me some food for thought which competes against my BookTube followings. So, I love many vloggers.
BookTube has a special place in my heart. After being introduced to this community on YouTube through the mainstream lot, who may vlog about anything else (Charlie still being a prime example, I love that guy) I... well, I'm here. Yes, that's right, for those of you who don't know (and didn't see in my latest Liebster's), I was inspired by vlogging. As you know, I don’t mean I vlogged. I haven't & I don't think I will (don't say I owe it to them, I don't- I think it'd wreck it for me... maybe). Anyway, these BookTubers often had goodreads (I mean that makes sense, lots of book lovers do... I didn't know that then). I suppose I’d been a referral from google many a time as I sometimes googled bookish things and it’d direct me there even for quotes! I didn’t realize much about it until I signed up, followed these vloggers, started reviewing, doing other stuff & ended up finding out about the non-video equivalent. I liked those reviews too and the blogs were a good idea so... hey, presto! I wish I could say a certain blogger did but really it was a journey which took months & eventually I blogged myself, not understanding quite the size of the community just knowing that I’d seen some pop up here & there. Now I know the truth ;)

Do you know how long it took to review? I actually started with an audio review because I was like, "I can get that close". It may happen again (I mean never again since Dec 2012 sounds pretty bad), but if I'm honest I hated my voice. Imagine what my anxiety would be if I allowed the internet to see my face as well! I'm not going to do that to myself, sorry...


But look at that audio review (not related to the GIF). How does it compare? Does it? I think it's very different! It's not actually comparable to me, though it might be to you. Especially as they both are opinions on books. Some people prefer to read, some prefer to hear & I've come to realize although I like both if the vlogger has a written one as well, some work twice as hard, then I'll read. It's not because it's necessarily quicker (ie. less rambling on paper/screen, you can ramble on a normal post as you know I can) but just because... well, it seems to sometimes sink in better. I might come back to it later... Vloggers are here for now, and very popular, but I think many are rooted in this traditional way of blogging. Even me, one of the 1990's generation.
So, can we please have both? Please can I continue to read & watch reviews depending on what I need at that type? Can I watch or view book hauls (interesting note: vloggers don't always link but I view this as a must or I'm unlikely to watch the haul... linking, or lack of, doesn't matter as much to me as I can just copy into google but for vlogs?!) as well? How about bookshelf tours? Content which exists on both, as far as I know. I can't yet think of stuff only vloggers do but they do everything a blogger might, apart from (I haven't seen any but correct me if I'm wrong) blog tours. Do blog tours accept vloggers? If vloggers are interested, they should be allowed! It's a changing world where names who don't pen their thoughts for the internet are household names, probably.
Heard of Charlie? I bet! That's the only non-book vlogger I shall mention but a ton exist. Some bloggers, or authors, do one-off's but they are not going to be know for vlogging.
booksandquills is. getbookish is. heyheybooks is. Do you need more? OK, Katytastic, PippityBop, sandraareads, thereadables, thestorysiren, virtualbookshelves... I can't mention them all, all probably 100 of them (some I watch regularly, others am just subscribed cos they deserve it as I've watched a few in this past, say, year) :P There's a lot! Lot of my blogger friends vlog too. They aren't necessarily at 1000 subscribers or something, but some are.
It's a revolution. I hope this post will stick with you. It may come in handy. Especially as now you know what vlogging is, and my opinions of it... (Sorry I didn't include many GIF's, I'm sorry that I'm not in an especially GIFy mood).

Book Promo [#12.5] (Character Interview edition) Reaper's Rhythm Blog Tour w/ Giveaway

Today, we have two gingers on the blog. Honestly, this isn't a picture of me... You can see that our guest is much more prettier, she's absolutely stunning & I'm so jealous! So, yes. This is our second guest, one of the characters of Reaper's Rhythm.

Here's something which looks different to normal (slightly)...

(or at Amazon UK | Waterstones )

RELEASED 26th July 2013!

Series: ☑  
Reaper’s Rhythm is a young adult urban fantasy, with a large dash of mystery set in modern day England...

  


Amy: Welcome, wonderful guests... You’re not the first and you’re not the last *lowers voice and speaks to cameras* to leave here with secrets spread like butter... Or should I say UKYA? No, secrets are so much easier to share. *gives attention back  to Kimberly, and cameras zoom into her face* Don’t you think you have some secrets to share? Not that I want you to spill them yet otherwise there would be nothing to, well, anticipate... *smiles* 


After an awkward pause where Amy doesn't witness a flinch from today's guest, she asks: For the readers, tell us your name (or nickname) & where you call home in 20 words or less.
Kimberly Welles, but I’ve always been Kim. Except to Dad, who insists on calling me Kimmie. I’m from Lancaster, UK.
(Counts on fingers) Hah! Exactly twenty words. (Smiles) 

*high fives Kim* What do you see yourself doing in 10 years, Kimmie?  *surrenders as she refers to the pet name in a good-natured, jokey way*
Oh, God. I don’t know. Mum and Dad expect me to go to uni, so that’ll take me until I’m 21. I’m sure I’ll get a job, maybe settle down. Possibly have kids. Is twenty-six too young to have kids? I really haven’t thought that far ahead. Unlike my sister, Charley, who knew exactly what she wanted to do, I don’t have a clue. 

The cover and the other images displayed
here are credited to Bramasta Aji.

Ahh... Pick one physical feature and one character trait which you would love to get rid of/alter. Why? 

Hmmm… I used to hate my hair. Mum and Charley are blond, Dad and Chris are brunettes and then there’s me, stuck in the middle with auburn hair. I don’t look like anyone else in my family (no milk man jokes, please. I know things are rough between my parents, but Mum would never have cheated on Dad).  

Auburn is pretty awesome, then again I share it with quite a few people in my family... If you could have only one of your five senses... *dramatic pause* which would you keep? 

My sight, probably. I’m not much of a fan of the dark, so I don’t think I’d cope if I couldn’t see anything.  

What is the greatest lesson you've learned in your life? 

All sixteen years of it? (Grins). Everyone has secrets. That’s kind of depressing, isn’t it? *grimaces* Thinking that everyone is hiding something from someone. I used to prefer Charley’s lesson, which was to have no regrets. Except you can’t really live like that, can you? 

I suppose not... She sounds inspiring! *nods enthusiastically and tries not to squeal* Are you inspired by teachers? Which one has inspired you the most… Why? 

My Chemistry teacher, Miss Jenkins. She’s brilliant. She’s got so much enthusiasm for teaching, her subject and her pupils. She always comes up with daft jokes to introduce topics and puts silly little drawings on her PowerPoint slides to keep us on our toes. 

If teachers aren’t dreamy enough for you, I don’t think Miss Jenkins will be, describe your dream girl/boy. *wiggles eyebrows, while acting jealous*

I don’t care what they look like, but they need to be someone who is there for me, who I can confide in and who’ll be able to understand me. Is that really soppy? I haven’t got a clue where I’ll meet them. Probably not in school, because most of the boys I go to school with are immature and selfish. At uni, maybe? 

Do you like “bad boys” (as in not just the villain... the one who may just have skewy intentions)?  

No. I mean, I thought I did at one point, but I really, really don’t. 

*suspicious look at Kim* Ohhkay... Do you believe in love at first sight? 

Again, no, but I used to. I think “love at first sight” is something that only happens in fiction. There’s no way you can fall in love with someone that quickly. How can you feel that deeply until you know what they’re really like? 

  

If you could meet ANYONE, who would it be?  

Marie Curie. I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a science geek (okay, maybe a geek in general). Wouldn’t it be amazing to meet the only woman to win a Nobel Prize for both Chemistry and Physics? (Coughs) Or maybe it’s just me. 

If you could have a dinner party with 5 fictional characters who would they be? At that dinner party who would you Kiss, Marry, Avoid or... *mimes dramatic slapping* SLAP, like that!

(Purses lips) Five fictional characters?
Elizabeth Bennet, from Pride and Prejudice. I’d slap her for taking so long to realise Mr. Darcy was the right man for her.
Ralph, from Lord of the Flies. He has such a rough time he deserves a hug. I’m not sure I’d go as far as kissing him!
Katniss Everdeen, although I’d probably be too scared of her to go anywhere near her. She’s so intense.
R, from Warm Bodies (after the end of the film). He’s so sweet, I might just marry him if he asked.
James Kirk from the Star Trek reboot. 

I would not avoid Katniss, myself. I’d want to just remain at that dinner party FOREVER. If you could freeze one moment in time, what would it be and why? *leans forward in seat and rests her chin on her hands with eagerness*

The last time I saw Charley, alive. I guess it doesn’t really need an explanation, does it? 

*leans back to grab a tissue and continues to keep her hands on her chin* I- I suppose that’s it! Any last words? 

Thanks for the chat, even if you did ask me some hard questions. I want to know which fictional characters you’d invite to dinner (winks). 

Oh, does Kim wonder that now? OK... I’d invite Zeba from Secrets, Lies & Locker 62 as well as Charlie from Perks, a few of the Benedict brothers, Peeta & Lizzie Holmes from the Jackie Chan Fan Club!... There you go, that's a little bonus, I feel like I have to give you one, being the penultimate stop (maybe that means the most awesome?) :P

Hope you enjoyed this post, specifically more than the first of this post (no comments though obviously some of you stopped by!), let me know what you think & please remember- I only feature books I (would/do) like myself, I don't expect you to read books I would not, hence why I only promote books occasionally.