Clare Bridgeman Interview

(as we didn’t give Claire long to respond... here’s 

some more of her bio! Claire Bridgeman is a secondary
school English teacher living in Norwich, England with,
her husband, their 1 year old daughter Pearl, their
black fluffy cat and the fly infestation currently inhabiting
the conservatory. She has written many books but it was only
in 2013, at the age of 28, that she felt her work was good
enough to be thrust upon the general public. 
Bridgeman loves all things fantasy...)

Today I have author Claire Bridgeman of the Spellweaver chronicles with me... She'll be talking about her books, a fresh new series which awaits you... and me potentially, actually. But instead of reviewing, I decided just to have a chat with a lovely author! So thanks to Claire for coming today.
I hope you like the questions, and especially the answers, sit back... relax!
And we're ready-

&   General  &

·    QUICK! What's your name, where do you call home & what's chasing you (so you had to answer quickly)?

My name is Claire, I live in Norwich (Norfolk) and I believe I am being chased by my one year old daughter, Pearl....! Oh wait, she's gone to bed for a nap so I think the coast is clear!!

·   

The Sucked In Books WWW Wednesday

You still here? (wait, you've only started reading so let me rephrase- you're here even though this post is long overdue!.. have you been waiting for my return? If so, thank you.)
I think the best way to explain my absence (not the blogoversary events absence, you may have seen me tweet that it didn't get enough interest which is disheartening) is to show you what I've been reading...
You can probably tell that reading slightly over 1000 pages of books in a week still isn't the cause of no blog posts. I've been busy for other reasons, y'all are aware of how busy school can make you I'm sure. I haven't even been simming for almost two weeks so it's not really procrastination (that would be easy to fix).

So here goes!

WWW Wednesday's is hosted by Should Be Reading.

We just answer the following three (3) questions…

What are you currently reading?

Reviewing... [65] Pandemonium

Reviewing... [65] Source: Bought myself Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton  Author: Lauren Oliver Reviewed by: Amy Bookworm | Holly Peckitt (our other post is here) Recommended For: Anyone :)

The book starts with a Lena whose been in the Wilds, we quickly meet Raven. How did you feel about the way that she met Raven? It was a bit dramatic….

It was dramatic but the wilds are like that! I’m so glad that Raven chooses to save Lena but as we can see, Raven is a big softie inside. It was a great way to be introduced to her… Of course, with Lena in a difficult situation when they meet it’s hard to describe Raven at first & say we meet her XD So, later finding out about this hard exterior she has & which all need in the Wilds- including Lena is… interesting! Dramatic is one word but it’s so much more XD I think most readers will like the character of Raven; her & Lena are such different people. Raven could be like a substitute Mother; it partly seems that way! Lena learns from Raven…

She learnt so much from Raven. And you could see that whilst they did argue and clearly had their moments of anger, she has so much respect for Raven and obviously looks up to her.

Surviving in the wild is hard, it also seems like a disaster then when Lena is in the wilds she experiences less love; it’s a harsh reality & I miss the family relationships. The friendships just seem so fragile, can you agree with that?

I couldn’t agree more with that. Whilst Lena made the choice that she made, it kind of feels like although she is letting people in, she doesn’t form friendships like the one which she had with Hana. I really missed the relationship between them that was there in Delirium.

I definitely concur! She’s forced to form friendships; she can’t rely on her own, none in the wild can- it’s like a pack :P So, it’s very different. Even with Raven, who does become like a friend, it’s still like a co-worker kind of relationship. They give & get, would these two girls have naturally been friends otherwise? Obviously, I think not! Lena also definitely misses family, esp Grace (who I adore also!) so when she’s back in US you kinda wish it was nearer Portland; things have changed but how much? :P

Also, the way she meets Julian (maybe I’m getting ahead!) is very different to Alex. It’s less wild and impulsive; which is such a contrast to how she meets Raven, hehe.

The Way that Julian met Lena was completely different. Lena was thrown into a situation from which there was no escaping.

Maybe it’s more similar to the Wilds than I was thinking. I will always think the one between Alex & her was… wild. It was; you just wouldn’t expect to fall in love that way when love is forbidden.

Celebrations! 18 Months! (DAY ONE :D)

I know you don't have birthdays for 18 month year old babies & the same should be true of blogs but since I didn't celebrate being a year old I felt I had to do something for a year & a half. I didn't do it then as my blog didn't really deserve it ;)
This is JUST the beginning though, these celebrations are yet to properly unfold... I want to leave most of you in the dark *giggles*

I may have told you but now, FORGET.

I've read 90 books, I believe, since I began this book blog. Over 2/3 I've already reviewed & some are still awaiting reviews. I've met new people, so many new people, I can't count them all on my hands and feet. I love the authors/publishers I get to review for and the ones I communicate with for other reasons are just as fabulous. I've only had one exclusive as a book blogger opportunity but it was enough to show me how worth it is this really is.

There's many names I would love to run through & their corresponding souls I'd love to thank.

Reviewing... Contemporary! (Mini reviews #3)

I know I'm definitely known for short reviews (I'd love to be known for anything, so who wants to advertise that Amy Bookworm writes some stinking long reviews?) but today, shaking it up! Here's some mini-reviews, I hope you don't mind. They may not look mini but my ones (2&3) are definitely less than 200; it turns out my Mum does succinct naturally so that's short too! Hope you enjoy these reviews & find a book you'd like amongst more boyish humour, one for a little more chick-lit laughs & serious "issue dealing" contemporary.

Reviewing... in short! Sources -- JC: OUP. TPTD&awlol: Grabbed on Kindle from Amazon. H2SaL: Also Kindle ebook I bought from Amazon.

The Private Blog Of Joe Cowley

(Sidenote: This review is by my Mum, who loves OUP & since we got this from their Jan event she felt she ought to review it as a 'Thank You' so here it is; the main purpose of this post!)
Joe Cowley. What a great dude!! (and I’m NOT saying that because I’m a secret Captain Picard follower!!) The main description is “Adrian Mole meets The Inbetweeners”: MUCH better than AM (tho I can see the same theme of trying to get the girl, his dad excruciatingly attempting to be young again). And despite the toilet banter between the lads, it’s actually not really sex-obsessed like Inbetweeners. Only using “cock” as favourite expletive reminds me of it...

Countdown YA post: Interviewing Louisa Reid!

Hello my brilliances (suck it up, I'm being extra nice today which I shouldn't be, as it's the first day back after half-term to school so in theory I should be very GRUMPY, maybe :P)

Some of you may be reading this as you know I'm on the Countdown to 5th June YA tour! I not, then thank you for reading my blog post today anyway! You can check out more of the countdown tour there. Only 3 days left til'... Authors are getting very excited as most have still got a lovely publication date of June 5th! Congrats to them & any authors publishing soon anyway...
What am I doing for the tour, the less prepared (for this post) might be wondering? I've got the pleasure of having Louisa Reid as my super special guest! She's answering my hard questions (apparently they're hard but as I haven't had to answer them I'm a bit more objective XD)

Asking Louisa...

For the readers, what’s your name & where do you call home? 
I live in a little village called Rampton on the Fen Edge, ie on the outskirts of Cambridge, just before you get into the fens proper. I love it.

What's your favourite literacy location? 
East Egg - the glamour! (and the horror, of course)

If you had to read (and write) only one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be?
YA contemporary fiction without a doubt! (Also, that's the only thing I reckon I can write so the answer is inevitable). It's always been my favourite genre, ever since my Deenie days, and still is. I spent this weekend engrossed in Looking for JJ and Finding Jennifer Jones. Totally immersed. It was wonderful.