tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45897682853982305332024-03-13T13:38:59.119+00:00Laura in Bookishland readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-15568139608014467812017-07-31T18:49:00.002+01:002017-07-31T18:49:52.845+01:00The reading slump of all slumps<div style="text-align: center;">
Pretty much this whole year so far- that's 7 months- I've had such a reading slump. I've picked up books and not finished them. There was the odd book back in may/june that I did read (The Butterfly Garden) but since then... nope. However in the last week I've managed to read four books! I am hoping that is me back on the reading train but I will wait to see what happens<br /><br />Sometimes it's just so hard to know what to do read. Right now I really want to read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman but at the same time, do I really want to read that? I do this to myself. I second guess if I want to read this. I do the same with movies now. Get 10 minutes into a film and decide 'yeah I don't think I want to put 2 hours of my life into this movie' it's dumb because I aint going to be doing much else in those two hours!<br /><br />I tried all the Get Yourself Out of a Reading Slump 101s you could think of. Read little and often, read short books, read short stories, reread a favourite book, read some easy YA, go on booktube, bookstagram, twitter, etc. Nothing was really working.<br />Sometimes you are in a proper dead end slump and their just isn't anything you can do about it. What I've found with me what took me out of my slump was read this scary-true-story-ghost book and it kept me on my toes straight from the start I literally read it in a day. So maybe I could suggest trying a book that has reviews that states 'thrilling from the start' and the like. Books that are going to take a couple of chapters or more to get into, you aint going to get past that first chapter! it needs to be WHAM BAM, SORRY WAS THAT THE WRONG HOLE, MAM? In your face, grips you, ties you in and keeps you in.<br />Also I watched some 24 hour readathons on youtube and that really got me in the mood to read just to see how much I could read in a short space of time and I managed to read The Forgetting Time and got about half way through Alice by Christina Henry in that time (although I wasn't actually doing a 24 hour readathon, i just found the idea of it motivating)<br /><br />As for my blog I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with it. Not sure if I will keep it going. I like having a book blog, writing my reviews, posting up my hauls and TBRs that I never keep to <i>lololol. </i><br /><br />I guess I'll see how my reading goes for now. Build up a catalogue of reviews for now and maybe have it back up to frequent posting again soon.<br /><br />On the plus side I've saved a lot of money not buying as many books so far this year, and I did an unhaul when I moved house woo!</div>
readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-15521411019322065412016-11-08T14:20:00.000+00:002016-11-08T14:20:21.943+00:00November TBR<br />
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I have so enjoyed reading creepy and scary books through October, I really don't want to stop! But I have other book in other genres that I do want to get round too- and most importantly I have other books that I started and have yet to finish!<br />
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One of them is Hollow City (Miss Peregrine book 2) by Ransom Riggs which I started in August and got 100 plus pages in. I did have it on my TBR for October but life gets in the way! So I do want to finish that book this month.<br />
Another is If I Stay. I'm not sure why I struggling sticking with this book because I do enjoy it when I read it- I'm 15% into this book</div>
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I then want to read:<br />
Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson- I'm on a mission to read all of her books<br />
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh- Heard fabulous reviews<br />
Behind Closed Doors by B. A Paris- I've promised my best friend I will read it this month<br />
A Darker Shade of Magic- I fancy something different<br />
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(apologies for lousy focussing- a prime lens is not good for shoots like this, zoom lens is on my list!)<br />
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I'm not very good at sticking to monthly TBR's but I want to make a good dent in the books that I've yet to read on my book shelf.<br />
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-38063703211036157902016-11-01T19:57:00.000+00:002016-11-01T20:15:34.529+00:00Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin<div style="text-align: center;">
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If you're quite active in the Booktube/Bookstagram community then you may have heard of this book The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. It has rave reviews everywhere, and I can see why!<br />
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<i>Mara Dyer is a 16 year old girl has just moved to another state folowing a horrific and tragic accident in which her best friend, boyfriend and boyfriend's sister all died. Struggling to cope with what has happened, her inability to remember what actually happened she starts to show signs of PSTD- hallucinating and feeling unstable and emotional.<br />As time goes on her hallucinations are becoming too much, they're becoming too real. What are they? What is happening to Mara? After a series of strange and coincidental events Mara starts to wonder if there is something seriously wrong with her... </i><br />
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That's about as good of a quick synopsis I could give without spoilers to be honest! Firstly this book is young adult supernatural/contemporary fiction. So keep that in your mind if you're intrigued by this book because YA isn't for everyone.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p6FocKFHFJ4/WBYTzPwm1bI/AAAAAAAAB-0/xocvsy1n4jAS_QKdTagDPgtY9iZ6VuF6gCLcB/s1600/DSC_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p6FocKFHFJ4/WBYTzPwm1bI/AAAAAAAAB-0/xocvsy1n4jAS_QKdTagDPgtY9iZ6VuF6gCLcB/s320/DSC_0033.JPG" width="213" /></a>I really enjoyed this book- I started getting a bit concerned about 20% of the way through because Mara has met this guy, an English boy called Noah who is of course dashingly gorgeous, and he is rumoured to be a total man-whore and a douche etc and he's just all over Mara like a sleaze so I was sat there thinking 'oh my god, if this story is going to be about how he sleeps with her and doesn't call her back I'm finishing this book and burning it' HOWEVER that is not what this book is and this isn't a spoiler, and if it is I think it's an important one to have in your mind so that you can really appreciate Noah from the start but the man-whore rumours, as far as I'm led to believe, are just rumours and he is a nice guy, So keep that in mind when reading this.<br />
Once I realise that Noah is actually a good guy I really liked him (I'd spend about half it thinking he was arsehole!) <br />
The relationship does get a little 'insta-lovey' as it's called- where he's saying all the right things and she just melts- but there wasn't TOOOO much of that within this book, there was just enough for me in fact.<br />
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The story unfolds and you're a little confused, I'm not going to lie. You're kind of left thinking 'what on earth is real' because Mara isn't really a reliable narrator- she can't remember what actually happened, she's losing her mind trying to piece things together and you're being taken along for the ride with her.<br />
This book moves as such a fast pace so I literally could it put it down- I mean it, I went from 25% to 94% in four and a half hours. And it was after 2am and I had to leave the last 7% till the morning. But there are quite a few different things going on in the book- you have Mara trying to remember what happened, all the crazy things going on around her, her new budding relationship, her strained relationship with her mother, her father's job as a lawyer and defending an accused murderer- it's pretty packed!<br />
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I would recommend this book if you're familiar with young adult, if you just starting out with some supernatural- because although this is classed as a supernatural book and the supernatural elements I think are brilliant, I really loved those bis, there really wasn't as much as I thought there would be so I am hoping there will be a lot more in the second book.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jmSx9BHht4U/WBYT0OfZSbI/AAAAAAAAB-4/3Jbq91AJo50wZopwaAMYJUjxJ-6cV-wewCLcB/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jmSx9BHht4U/WBYT0OfZSbI/AAAAAAAAB-4/3Jbq91AJo50wZopwaAMYJUjxJ-6cV-wewCLcB/s320/DSC_0035.JPG" width="213" /></a>I really feel like I could talk more about this book but I'll leave it here because the rest of these series will really complete this book more and questions that are still left unanswered<br />
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I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars- knocking off a star because I spend way too long thinking Noah was an arsehole and so I really didn't warm to him till much later in the book, and there could have been more supernaturally elements in there for me.<br />
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This book is part of a trilogy so this is left on a bit of a cliff hanger- but a really good one. Currently in the UK all three Mara Dyer books are 99p on Kindle<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My bestie best Sarah over at <a href="https://mumx3x.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">https://mumx3x.blogspot.co.uk/</a> have made a facebook group for all things BOOKISH if you'd liked to join shoot us a request over at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1596304943997905/" target="_blank">Bookish Worms</a> see you there!</div>
readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-28873825203012741252016-10-30T15:50:00.000+00:002016-10-30T15:50:20.131+00:00October Book Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In all I read 6 books this month as planned, although my final two books weren't the ones I had on my original October TBR but that's because I got all caught up in a series and I </div>
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Bird Box by Josh Malerman- <a href="http://laurainbookishland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/review-bird-box-by-josh-malerman.html" target="_blank">Read my review here</a><br /><br />A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness- <a href="http://laurainbookishland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/review-monster-calls.html" target="_blank">Read my review here</a><br /><br />The Haunting of Hill House- <a href="http://laurainbookishland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/review-haunting-of-hill-house-by.html" target="_blank">Read my review here</a><br /><br />The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer- Review to come</div>
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<br />The Evolution of Mara Dyer- Review to come<br /><br />The Retribution of Mara Dyer- Review to Come<br /><br />I will just say I loved the Mara Dyer series- I do recommend it if you're a YA supernatural/contemporary fan.<br /><br /></div>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-28221899055404814242016-10-26T02:00:00.000+01:002016-10-26T02:00:11.672+01:00October Book Haul<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />This month I went a little crazy on the book buying and bought 20 books! 8 of which were either from very cheap stores ( like poundland) or charity shops- the rest from either amazon, WHSmiths or Waterstones<br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Pol9ArCrfU/WA-XjIoi9vI/AAAAAAAAB-M/wzBzNs7_AN0n7Gq9D_FA0B5iJPW3sV35QCEw/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Pol9ArCrfU/WA-XjIoi9vI/AAAAAAAAB-M/wzBzNs7_AN0n7Gq9D_FA0B5iJPW3sV35QCEw/s640/DSC_0005.JPG" width="526" /></a><br /><br />From top row, L-R: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, A Monster Calls (illustrated edition) by Patrick Ness, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, The Reviver by Seth Patrick, A Last Kiss for Mummy by Casey Watson, The Short Second Life of Bree Tannr by Stephanie Meyer, Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson, Penpal by Dathan Auerbach, Throne of Glass by Sarah Jj Maas, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Dark Ideas by Shirley Jackson, Room by Emma Donoghue, Mother Mther by Koran Zailckas, Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, The Boy in Striped PJ's (illustrated edition) by John Boyne, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin and I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh</div>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-58581882580398769192016-10-23T02:00:00.000+01:002016-10-24T18:25:33.394+01:00Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackon<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">The Haunting of Hill House</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"> has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.</span></i><br />
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This book is quite wonderfully written as is all books by Jackson. Being a book from 1959 the language is so far from modern day that it is a nice break, though at times a little confusing. The way people behave and speak within this book is far different to anything else I have read.<br />
More than just a tale of a haunted house is depicts the descend into a kind of madness for the main character.<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u1JhanEISSQ/WApbOPgh04I/AAAAAAAAB94/aUsZtOxCSXU5wUB3dQj4K7p5GBXej1BeQCLcB/s1600/DSC_0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u1JhanEISSQ/WApbOPgh04I/AAAAAAAAB94/aUsZtOxCSXU5wUB3dQj4K7p5GBXej1BeQCLcB/s320/DSC_0151.JPG" width="213" /></a>If you are already a lover of eerie tales are very familiar with a writing style similar to that from the 1950's then I would recommend this book to you.<br />
I had previously seen the film- The Haunting (orignal AND remake)- although at the time of reading I couldn't really remember what had happened but as I carried on reading I suddenly remembered the ending and the explanation. So I went through this book with that in mind but actually you do not get that same explanation that you get from the 1999 version of the film so I would suggest if you haven't watched the film already to read the book first.<br />
The book did confuse me in some ways as I did think I was going to be reading more of a haunted house book, so when you go into this book keep in mind that that is only part of the story.<br />
This book is only 247 pages but it did take me a week to read. It wasn't something I was much too excited to read although I did enjoy as I read it. After reading such fast-paced spooky books just before this one I did find this book to be somewhat slow, however on reflection it's not that the book was slow it was that it was enriched with so much detail, so much character building which is so important for this book because, as well as the spooky house element, the main feature of this book is the main character and descend into a kind of madness and obsession and the relationship between her and the strangers around her.<br />
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I rate this book around a 3.5 only because I didn't feel it was much about the haunting of the house as I thought it would be but in terms of writing, description, structure- you can't fault Shirley Jackson.<br />
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My friend <a href="https://mumx3x.blogspot.co.uk/">Sarah</a> and I have made a Facebook group strictly for discussions and social media of all things book related! Feel free to come along and request to join over at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1596304943997905/">Bookish Worms</a><br />
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-69729428463283493262016-10-19T19:36:00.000+01:002016-10-20T16:14:22.544+01:00Review: Bird Box by Josh Malerman<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Before The Problem started, Malorie lived with her sister Shannon. Shannon begins to notice the news reporting strange things happening in other countries till it eventually reaches their own. Reports on people acting crazy, killing and committing suicide and no one knows why except to it seems then that when you see something in particular it sends you crazy. At the same time Malorie discovers she is pregnant from a one night stand... and she has no idea the kind of world she will have to raise her baby in</i><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W2QJkzuDl-g/WAe8qwgvQoI/AAAAAAAAB9k/qOlNldgPG6EmH1rfFpVkbHaRgtyVYoa3gCLcB/s1600/DSC_0101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W2QJkzuDl-g/WAe8qwgvQoI/AAAAAAAAB9k/qOlNldgPG6EmH1rfFpVkbHaRgtyVYoa3gCLcB/s200/DSC_0101.JPG" width="200" /></a>This was such a good read for me. The chapters were short but it didn't feel like too much toing and frowing at all. It was enough to keep me interested because I wasn't just reading the same chapter for prolonged periods of time.<br />
There was a lot of suspension, you weren't too sure which way the book was going to go. How the characters were going to make it. Theories about the what was happening and why making your mind try and search for an answer.<br />
I found it hard to keep this book sat down for very long and read it within 32 hours. Something about it just kept me wanting more. Tension, the world bought to it's feet, and unknown monster/creature to fear, a strong female protagonist. It has a lot going for it!<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRk_AK8c9Hk/WAe8od4vCMI/AAAAAAAAB9g/nNzVii6Tg5w1RVsypiMlzzrnVZ4b5qNGgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRk_AK8c9Hk/WAe8od4vCMI/AAAAAAAAB9g/nNzVii6Tg5w1RVsypiMlzzrnVZ4b5qNGgCLcB/s320/DSC_0098.JPG" width="212" /></a>Finishing the book I felt like I just read through a journey, an adventure. Grant it, not a very nice one at all giving what the story is about but throughout it I was questioning "would I do this?" "Could I handle this?" "Is what she is doing/has done by the children right?" It really had me thinking.<br />
Better than just the bog standard apocalypse stories which most likely include one or two zombies, this was about something else and such a brilliant original idea. To have to try and go through life practically blind so as not to see the thing that could likely make you mad.<br />
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If you are a fan of the apocalypse-style stories then I recommend this for you.<br />
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My friend Sarah and I have just opened a Facebook book club group- to share all things bookish! So if you regularly blog, tweet, Instagram or YouTube about books pop on over and join us at <a href="https://facebook.com/groups/1596304943997905">Bookish Worms</a></div>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-81514572551347674002016-10-16T04:00:00.000+01:002016-10-20T16:12:39.534+01:00Review: A Monster Calls<div style="text-align: center;">
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This is one hell of a book. It's a very quick, very easy read but the story itself is something... something some of us have probably struggled with at some point in their lives. Perhaps not in exactly the same circumstances but in some way. The story speaks about truth and admitting your own truth. That it's ok to say out loud the thing you're most scared to admit and say.<br />
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I think many people love this book because the story itself is something that many of us have dealt with, and whom the original author herself was dealing with when she started writing this novel.<br />
I think many of you will appreciate the life lesson within this book so pick it up. It's worth it.<br />
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This book was originally started by Siobahn Dowd but was unable to finish it before her untimely death and was completed by Patress Ness. Here I have the illustrated version of the book. There is now also a movie of this book which I do look forward to seeing. I hope they keep with the eerie atmosphere of the book<br />
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-83781524875164996022016-10-12T11:17:00.000+01:002016-10-12T17:13:49.288+01:00Review: Penpal <div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for penpal book" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/Penpal_cover_Auerbach.jpg" width="261" /><br /><br />A young man is try to piece together a tragic event that happened in his childhood.<br />That is basically the synopsis for this book and all I really want to give away.<br />I hadn't heard of this book at all, it was recommended to me by Sarah who was snapchatting me as she was reading it tell me I had to read it because I would love it and she was right<br />I loved this book. SO MUCH!<br />This story actually started out as a series on Reddit and through support and kickstarter the author was able to get it published.<br />Reasons I loved this book: It's creeping, I loved the writing style- it would me my imagination astray. I like the structure of each chapter: he starts off telling you about a memory from his childhood with good detail and it leads to another piece of the puzzle slotting together.<br />I really enjoyed the way he wrote, it gave me great imagery. It left me wanting more at the end of each chapter.<br />Now, I've gone on GoodReads and I've read the gripe that some people have with this book- it's not written well, it's all over the place, it's too amateur and in a way I can see where they're coming from but you have to remember this started as something on Reddit! And, as far as I know, the author hasn't had anything else published. I thought this was a great starter novel and for some of you it may not hit the right notes but for me it hit every note. I was so intrigued, I didn't want to skim any sections, it was exciting, it was exhausting!<br />If you enjoy creepy books, looking for something a little haunting for halloween I would recommend this book.<br /></div>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-85732209604806215332016-10-09T00:00:00.000+01:002016-10-11T07:24:17.137+01:00Review : Every Everything<div style="text-align: center;">
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Meet Maddy- an 18 year old girl who loves to read, watch movies, and play board games with her mum. Oh and she suffers from a rare disease that means she's allergic to almost everything. Maddy doesn't mind, she's lived her life the way she always has and doesn't know any different. That is of course until a boy becomes involved. Then life gets tricky. Very tricky. Is she willing to risk <i>everything</i> for this boy? For a chance to live just for once in her life?<br />
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Every Everything is a young adult contemporary fiction story and if you've read any of those before then you'll be family with what to expect in this story. Teenager. Some kind of obscure problem. Love. Seeing life through rose tinted glasses and all that jazz<br />
But actually this book is very pleasant. It's a quick read and the style of the story switches itself up just enough to keep your attention- you'll be reading the story from Maddie's thoughts, then it will switch to IM messages between her and friends, then it'll include little drawings she's done and some funny little references and 'spoiler' reviews for books which are only a sentence long, so the book appears to be much longer than it actually is<br />
There's a lot of different sections to this story, it starts off one way, then works to something, then springs onto the next thing then bamboozles you with something else entirely. Very entertaining. Light hearted. Fluffy.<br />
Although there were a few moments I found myself really relating to this character, clutching onto my chest gasping 'OH... I FEEL YOUR PAIN GURL'<br />
It's definitely a book for fans of YA.<br />
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If you're looking for an easy read that is sweet but also has a little bit more bite in it (I'm referring to nearer the end of this book, which isn't a spoiler, because of course something is going to happen towards the end of any book!) then I would recommend this.<br /><br />
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-73435957902636715542016-10-01T21:38:00.000+01:002016-10-01T21:38:07.089+01:00October TBR and September Wrap Up<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy October 1st everyone!<br />
October is by far my favourite month of the year. Cold, sharp mornings; layers of clothes, gloves and scarves; cripys leaves and foggy days. Bring it on.<br />
And of course we can't forget.. HALLOWEEN! In England we really don't celebrate halloween as much as we should. It IS celebrated but it's rare to see a house completely decorated for the occasion. Or perhaps I'm just living in the wrong area. But it still gives that spooky feel to the whole of October which I love. So of course some of my TBR for this month is going to be some spooky-ish books!<br />
Here is what I hope to read this month<br /><br />
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<br /><br /><b>The Haunting of Hill House</b>. After reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle in September I definitely feel like I ineed to read all of Shirley Jackson's books and this is next on the list<br />
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<b>Bird Box</b> by Josh Malerman I saw this on ChapterStackss youtube being recommended as an October read and then I found it in a pound shop (dollar store) so I had to pick it up! I've started it and I love it so far!<br />
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<b>Disappearance at Devils Rock</b> by Paul Tremblay This book was recommended as something to read after watching Stranger Things and I'm very excited to start this book<br />
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<b>Miss Peregrine book #2</b> by Ransom Riggs I actually started this book back in August but I was hitting a weird slump back then so I intend to finish this one and start the third one next month<br />
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<b>A Monster Calls</b> by Patrick Ness. I can't remember where I saw this recommended- it might have been Chapterstackss again as I do rely on her for spooky/horror-esque books and it sounds very interesting, has a great reviews, I'm all over it<br /><br /><b>The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer</b> by Michelle Hodkin and again I think another that I found from Chapterstackss LOL and agains sounds very interesting and has great reviews<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">September Wrap Up</span></b><br />I didn't get through too many books in September. I say it's been a slump since August but really it hasn't been, I just didn't fancy reading much if I'm honest! But I was very happy with the books I did read<br /><img alt="Image result for everything everything nicola yoon" height="320" src="https://images.blog.whsmith.co.uk/9780552574235.jpg" width="204" /><br /><b>Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon</b>.<br /> I really enjoyed this book- very light and fluffy YA book. I'll be posting a review of that up soon<br /><br /><b><img alt="Image result for can i let you go cathy glass" height="320" src="https://29a2c9fde86ba3b26cc5-b46d48c1c3e7071759cdbb9a4a64ab30.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/harpercollins_uk_frontbookcovers_298W/9780008153748.jpg" width="206" /><br />Can I Let You Go by Cathy Glass</b>. <br />Big Cathy Glass fan although sometimes some of her stories are quite harrowing and very sad but this one wasn't quite so and I reviewed that <a href="http://laurainbookishland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/review-can-i-let-you-go.html">right here</a><br /><br /><br /><img alt="Image result for penpal by dathan auerbach" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/Penpal_cover_Auerbach.jpg" width="208" /><br /><b>Penpal by Dathan Auerbach</b>. <br />Recommended to me by a friend who loved it, I freaking loved this book. Review will be up soon. Very good book to watch for spooky vibes!</div>
readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-42973216224784184232016-09-18T18:25:00.000+01:002016-09-18T22:02:48.432+01:00Review: Can I Let You Go?<div style="text-align: center;">
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Cathy Glass is a foster carer, having fostered over 150 children and teenagers for over 25 years. This time she about take on a far different kind of person in need altogether. Faye is 24 years old and she lives with her grandparents. Due to her mothers alcoholism whilst pregnant, Faye has Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and gives her the mental ability to that of an 8 year old. Faye is also pregnant. It's unknown how she became- whether she gave her consent, or even if she understood what was happening at the time- and no one knows who the father is but one thing everyone is sure of, is that Faye is not able to raise a baby.... Or is she?<br />
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This is a far different kind of story to what you might have normally read from Cathy Glass. I so far have read 5 other Cathy Glass books and the stories she tells, based on the true stories of the children she fosters, can be utterly heartbreaking and harrowing at times. This is not like that. If you're thinking of easing yourself into reading foster books this may be a good place to start. It doesn't have anything particularly shocking or harrowing although it will tug on your heart strings in a lot of places<br />
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As per usual. I enjoyed this Cathy Glass book. Since this is the 6th book I have read by her I am accustomed to her writing. She doesn't really stray away from her style and sometimes it can be repetitive. Sometimes she'll leave a little crumb trail "I tell the story of this child in my book... xxxxxx" for instance. Sometimes I feel that that kind of takes me out of the story when she does those sort of things. I don't want to be reminded or think about another story, I just want to concentrate on this one.<br />
I did find myself skimming through a few sections of this book- normally I would read every single line as- typical in a Cathy Glass book- you could easily miss something very important that she might mention once but it doesn't go any further till much later in the story. There were a lot of moments in this story where what she was writing about didn't have much to do with what was happening with the "child" in question and for me when I read a Cathy Glass book. I'm only interested in reading about that child and what is going on but the nature of this story is not the same as her others so you're not dealing with an out of control child, or abusive parents trying find out where Cathy lives and the like. It's not full with as much 'drama' as her other stories- this is far more an emotional journey and she did a very good job handling the situation as delicately as she could<br />
Overall despite my skimming sections I really enjoyed this book. There was so much about Faye to learn and you were really rooting for her with Cathy<br />
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I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars on good reads</div>
readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-91399065477547443582016-09-11T00:30:00.000+01:002016-09-11T09:36:11.764+01:00Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>We Have Always Lived in the Castle</b> is a mystery/ semi-horror novel, written in 1962 by Shirley Jackson. It would be her final masterpiece.<br />
This book follows an 18 year old girl, Mary Katherine otherwise known as 'Merricat' she introduces herself as having two fingers the same length as each other on each hand, disliking washing herself, dogs and noise.<br />
She lives with her sister Constance and their Uncle Julian- who has started to lose his marbles a little bit.<br />
They live in a rather large house that was once home many people, though you're not entirely sure how many. They are shunned by the people in the nearby village, for six years ago the rest of their family was poisoned and murdered at dinner. Constance was charged but acquitted of the murder.<br />
The book is told through Merricat's viewpoint and you get a great sense of child-like thinking through her narration. Having only been 12 when her family were killed and gone to an orphanage till her sister was acquitted you get the sense that since that terrible night she's almost been stunted in her mental and emotional growth.<br />
I found this book so intriguing. Throughout it Uncle Julian talks about what happened that night and fills in many of the blanks of what did happened, though never quite enough and it keeps you wanting more. It's very wonderfully written- the details without being too complex in the characters and scenes were very visual for me. I was able to really imagine their surroundings and assign each character their own voices- which is not something I often do. Every line in this book is a key to the character you are reading about. It is quite a tragic book though I personally didn't feel sorry for the characters- well, perhaps her sister a little bit because she seemed to have really taken on the role of mother and carer, without any fuss. But Merricat speaks very plainly and the only emotion you really see from her is her disdain for the people in her village and a visitor that comes to stay with them.<br />
It's quite haunting, bizarre, and I really struggled putting this book down. I really want to read more of Shirley Jackson's books now.<br />
I think this a good book to read for Halloween- it's got that gothic theme about it. Almost a black humour without actually being funny but, for me, the way Merricat tells her story it's not told in a fashion of 'our life has been hell since that devilish night' it's very much 'that happened but this is how we live now and we're getting on with life'<br />
There's also an air of... magic. Whilst I was reading this book I felt myself relating it to The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman in some small way... there isn't really any magic in this story except for when Merricat shows her superstitions in nailing things to a tree to vanquish people, or burying objects for good luck.<br />
I gave this book 5 stars because... damn it, it made me feel things. I'm not entirely sure what those things even were but it's been a week later and I'm still thinking about this book</div>
readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-49189484963026177652016-09-07T22:09:00.003+01:002016-09-07T22:09:46.993+01:00August Wrap Up<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So August ending up being a Netflix month for me so my reading took a big step back. But it's fine because I got through Stranger Things (which has lead me to some more books to read I might add...) and Bates Motel and AHS- freakshow and asylum and I am now watching Freaks and Geeks. Because Whilst I love reading and becoming a much bigger and better reader- TV and Movie are always my first love and I my gawd have I been neglecting them!<br /><br />So I only managed to squeeze in two books and one audio<br /><br />Of course my audio is <b>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</b>. I've been spending the few few months listening to Harry Potter on audible and I'm absolutely loving them. I can't recommend them on audio enough. I love doing the washing up now because I will have Harry Potter on! Although if I have to listen to the line '<i>his lip curled...</i>' one more time, I might drown my face in the washing up bowl but aside from that, marvellous.<br /><br />I read <b>A Child Called It</b> this month- my thoughts on that book are <a href="http://laurainbookishland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/review-child-called-it.html">here</a><br /><br />And I also read <b>We Have Always Lived in the Castle</b> by Shirley Jackson. I really enjoyed this book. This was one of th books that was on a recommended list after watching Stranger Things and I'm so glad I found this book and I intend on reading so much more by this author. I have a review coming up for this on sunday which I will link here so come back and check that out!</span><br /><br /></div>
readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-35361332115500342192016-09-04T00:00:00.000+01:002016-09-04T00:00:14.151+01:00August Book Haul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena</span></i></b></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;">You never know what's happening on the other side of the wall.</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn't stand her crying.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You'll have the baby monitor and you'll take it in turns to go back every half hour.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realized. She's gone.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">You've never had to call the police before. But now they're in your home, and who knows what they'll find there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>The Hundred Year old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sitting quietly in his room in an old people's home, Allan Karlsson is waiting for a party he doesn't want to begin. His one-hundredth birthday party to be precise. The Mayor will be there. The press will be there. But, as it turns out, Allan will not . . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Escaping (in his slippers) through his bedroom window, into the flowerbed, Allan makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, Allan's earlier life is revealed. A life in which - remarkably - he played a key role behind the scenes in some of the momentous events of the twentieth century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><b><i>The Saddest Girl in the World by Cathy Glass </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Donna had been in foster care with her two young brothers for three weeks when she is abruptly moved to Cathy’s. When Donna arrives she is silent, withdrawn and walks with her shoulders hunched forward and her head down. Donna is clearly a very haunted child and refuses to interact with Cathy’s children Adrian and Paula.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After patience and encouragement from Cathy, Donna slowly starts to talk and tells Cathy that she blames herself for her and her brothers being placed in care. The social services were aware that Donna and her brothers had been neglected by their alcoholic mother, but no one realised the extent of the abuse they were forced to suffer. The truth of the physical torment she was put through slowly emerges, and as Donna grows to trust Cathy she tells her how her mother used to make her wash herself with wire wool so that she could get rid of her skin colour as her mother was so ashamed that Donna was mixed race.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The psychological wounds caused by the bullying she received also start to resurface when Donna starts reenacting the ways she was treated at home by hitting and bullying Paula, so much so that Cathy can’t let Donna out of her sight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As the pressure begins to mount on Cathy to help this child, things start to get worse and Donna begins behaving in erratic ways, trashing her bedroom and being regularly abusive towards Cathy’s children. Cathy begins to wonder if she can find a way to help this child or if Donna’s scars run too deep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><b><i>Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1976: Peggy Hillcoat is eight. She spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of <i>The Railway Children</i> and listening to her mother's grand piano, but her pretty life is about to change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from London to a cabin in a remote European forest. There he tells Peggy the rest of the world has disappeared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Her life is reduced to a piano which makes music but no sound, a forest where all that grows is a means of survival. And a tiny wooden hut that is Everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>Ready Player One by Ernest Cline</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS - and his massive fortune - will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 22.4px;">For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based in the culture of the late twentieth century. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions - and that will leave both Wade and his world profoundly changed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>Disappearance At Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Late one summer night, Elizabeth Sanderson receives the devastating news that every mother fears: her 13-year-old son, Tommy, has vanished in the woods of a local park. Riddled with worry, pain, and guilt, Elizabeth is wholly unprepared for the strange series of events that follow. As the search grows more desperate, and the implications of what happened become more haunting and sinister, no one is prepared for the shocking truth about that night.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'engle</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">A WRINKLE IN TIME is a classic sci-fi adventure for children by bestselling US author, Madeleine L'Engle.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">When Charles Wallace Murry goes searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for his lost father, he finds himself on an evil planet where all life is enslaved by a huge pulsating brain known as 'It'. How Charles, his sister Meg and friend Calvin find and free his father makes this a very special and exciting mixture of fantasy and science fiction, which all the way through is dominated by the funny and mysterious trio of guardian angels known as Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><i><b>We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family<b style="font-style: italic;">.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: bold;"><b><i>The Boy At The Top Of The Mountain by John Boyne</i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a new life with his Aunt Beatrix, a servant in a wealthy household at the top of the German mountains. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching; and this is no ordinary house, for this is the Berghof, the home of Adolf Hitler<b>.</b></span></div>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-85374358295914662602016-08-31T00:30:00.000+01:002016-08-31T00:30:19.255+01:00September TBR<div style="text-align: center;">
I didn't read a whole lot in August- I was excited for the summer holidays thinking I'd have all this free time to read and what happens? Netflix happens! But that's fine as I've been watching some fab TV shows. I did start a few books this month which I didn't get very far in but intend to finish in September<br />
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<img alt="Image result for clovenhoof" height="320" src="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ubbSEnM9L.jpg" width="213" /><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Clovenhoof by Heide Goody and Iain Grant</span></b><br />
I chose this book on a whim, not really knowing what it was about. Reading just a few pages in and I was already chuckling to myself- I hadn't realised it was a comedy. So far I've really been enjoying this book and I look forward to finishing this off!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If I Stay by Gayle Foreman</span></b><br />
A few of my friends have read this book and recommended it to me and I started it and I've really liked what I've read so far<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hollow City (Miss Peregrine book #2) by Ransom Riggs</span></b><br />
I loved the first book quite a fair bit so I've been very excited to contiue the series. I think I got about a hundred books in before I discovered Stranger Things on Netflix and that took over my life...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling</b></span><br />
I've been listening to these on audio and I absolutely love them! The Prisoner of Azkeban was so good and I cannot wait to really get into this book!<br />
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So those are the main books I have on my list for this month- with room for one or two additionals that may come my way</div>
readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-37840057517468688372016-08-17T03:30:00.000+01:002016-08-17T15:21:22.674+01:00Review: A Child Called It <div style="text-align: center;">
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Oh this book. If you've not read it you probably have heard of it and how horrible the events that unfold within it is. I remember being a teenager- about 14 or so- and this book was on everyones tongue. I think now about my 14 year old friends reading this book and, having literally just finishing it, I can't imagine how their unexperienced minds processed what they just read!<br />
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I'm not too sure where to start. I think first I'll say it's a very quick read, it's a very short book. I didn't realise it was such a short book till it ended- almost abruptly!- that's not including the epilogue.<br />
The structure of this book is a bit all over the place, you're not going to be reading any literary masterpiece but for someone who was just putting out into the world his own account of a very horrible case of child abuse, he wrote it rather well. The timeline gets a bit muddled but because he recalling from his own memory I imagine it's hard to really pin point when certain events happened. It's more or less a bit like reading a police statement from a child giving all the evidence he can of years of abuse.<br />
You don't get any answers here, you don't really understand one parent did what they did and the other did what they did. But again it's told from memory and perhaps he never knew either. You're not going to get other peoples accounts of the situation. It is all just from the memory of one man.<br />
As far as the severity of the abuse written within this book goes, I was questioning A LOT as to how sincere or truthful these events were. Some of it did just seem so far fetched, it really did, and not just 'gosh this is so harrowing it can't be true' it was more 'I really don't believe this happened like this' but again, it's a story being told by memory. Some things may have been exaggerated in his mind. And also, it is set in 70's america. A very different time then. And shocking child abuse does still happen today that does go completely unnoticed. I'm sure many of us from the UK will remember little Daniel Pelka who died aged 4 after being severely starved and beaten for months on end by his mother and her partner. It is stated on Wikipedia that they would lock him in a room, force feed him salt and put his head underwater in the bath and only weighed 1stone 9lbs ( 23lb) when he died. This mirrors some of what you read in the book and this only happened in 2012 and it was shockingly missed. You can imagine this happening 40 years ago how easily missed it would have been then.<br />
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It's not a book anyone can say is 'good' because.. it's not supposed to 'good' it's supposed to be an eye opener. I'm glad I have finally read it and I may read the other two books that follow this book (the second one follows him in foster care and the third follows him as an adult)</div>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-56144706244179719572016-08-03T00:00:00.000+01:002016-08-03T21:12:34.060+01:00July Book Haul<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think I pretty much bought most the books I was after in charity shops last month so this month my book haul is a little smaller</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll</span><br />I bought this very beautifully illustrated book from Wordery.com (recommend!) and it's just so beautiful it must be displayed! I've not read Alice in Wonderland in many many years so I will be reading it to my daughters soon</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e69138; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #e69138; font-size: x-large;">Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones</b><br />I got half way reading through this book two years ago and things came along and I didn't finish it. I really want to so I will reread from the beginning and finally finish it this time! It's very different to the film (which I love!)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;"><b>FanGirl by Rainbow Rowell</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I read this book in June and I did quite like it- I had some issues with it but I do like Rowell's writing style and her book covers are just so lovely and I had to get this book in hardback! (also from Wordery.com)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: x-large;">Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Again, same reason as before- I had to get this book!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">Miss peregrine series by Ransom Riggs</b><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I bought the second and third book after reading the first book and loving it! I am currently reading the second book and thoroughly enjoying it!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee<br /><i>and </i></b><b style="font-size: x-large;">Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger</b><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Two of those most infamous classic books that everyone must read. I want to try and read at least one 'classic' book that everyone must read before they die per month.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd</span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">The main reason I bought this book is because it is set in Headington, Oxford, England which is where I grew up and where my parents live LOL</span></span><br />
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-78943710739746033032016-07-31T00:00:00.000+01:002016-08-03T21:07:24.628+01:00July Wrap Up<div style="text-align: center;">
This month I got through 5 books and on little 60 page short story.<br />
I didn't get through all my TBR but to be honest I set a few too many that I could manage and I read one that wasn't on my July TBR<br />
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First I read <b><span style="color: #999999; font-size: large;">Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</span></b> (<a href="http://laurainbookishland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar.html">Link to review here</a>)<br />
I was very excited to read this book and whilst it wasn't actually anything like I thought it would be I really enjoyed this book and found it to keep me on my toes right when I need it to. I will be reading the second book next month<br />
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I then read <span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;"><b>While My Eyes Were Closed</b></span> (<a href="http://laurainbookishland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/book-review-while-my-eyes-were-closed.html">link to review here</a>)<br />
I had started to really feel like I wanted to read some suspense and this had gotten really good reviews and the synopsis interested me and it was exactly what I needed. I couldn't put it down.<br />
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After that I read <span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;"><b>The Ocean at the End of the Land</b></span> (l<a href="http://laurainbookishland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/book-review-ocean-at-end-of-lane-by.html">link to review here</a>)<br />
I really want to try and read all of Neil Gaiman's books! This one was so easy to read and it really touched some nostalgia for me just being a kid and seeing things as magical and surreal but in this book it's all real and at some points scary but it's a good 'good vs evil' book that involves kids having to be brave and those were the kind of movies I grew up on so I love reading books like that as an adult<br />
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Once I was done with that I gave <span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Kindred Spirits</b></span>- the short story- by Rainbow Rowell. Quick read;<br />
this book was only something like 60 plus pages. I really liked it. I says on the front it's for 'adult readers' I'm not sure why because any age- and most likely YA or teens- would read this and like this story most. I liked it because it's a short story of a girl waiting in line to see the new stars wars movie and makes friends with two guys. Shorts, sweet, Star Wars.<br />
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Following that I started reading <b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;">Eleanor and Park</span></b> also by Rainbow Rowell. I was lured in by 'asian guy, red haired girl, in the 80's' and that was it. I didn't really even know what the rest was. Again, like with all the RR books I've read so far, very sweet, relatable. Nothing major really happens but its stuff you can identify with and that in itself can be a big deal. I found myself likening Eleanor to who I was at her age. Review for this book to come....<br />
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Throughout July I was listening to <b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</span></b> on audio. I love these audios so much, I love Stephen Fry. I have to make sure I really pay attention because its easy to just imagine the films and I don't want to do that I want my own versions as much as I can. I'm liking how much.. I dunno.. cooler? Harry actually is. In the films- or the first one at least- I kind of saw Harry as just being quite meek and feeble so when he would stand up for himself it seemed a little out of character and I did struggle to envision anyone of Harry's character to be able to do that but in the book he's witty, sarcastic and you just get I different vibe from him. Or I do at least. Listening to these on Audio are perfect for me because I give myself the whole of the month to get through them and they're perfect for when I'm busy cleaning or on the bus.<br />
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What have you read this month?</div><center>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-8138411886836176712016-07-27T06:00:00.000+01:002016-07-27T07:51:54.200+01:00Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman<div style="text-align: center;">
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When a middle aged man returns back to his childhood town and to an old farm he once knew he is propelled into whirlwind of memories he had long forgotten from the year of his 7th birthday. He remembers meeting a girl older than him, perhaps of age 11, and her mother and grand mother. They lived on a farm which seemed normal at first but the way these three ladies spoke seems peculiar. They speak as if they've all lived far longer than their years and talk of things that can't possibly exist. Our unnamed protagonist is taken to a world unlike his own. After a series of strange events involving money mysteriously turning up in peoples hands, Lettie and The Boy go to track down who- or what- is doing this. In the other world they come across a strange creature made up of only fabric and sheets and Lettie warns it to stay away. </div>
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However, The Boy accidentally lets this creature find a way into his real world and things take a disastrous turn...<br />
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If I could compliment just one side of this book it's how wonderful I think it is written. The words, the descriptions, the flow... it's very beautiful and despite how complex some bits can seem it's easy to follow and understand. I both listened to this book on audio and read it when I wasn't able to listen to the audio. I do recommend the audio- it is narrated by Neil Gaiman himself and I definitely like his voice and feel it had the right tone for this book. He made it sound so much more whimiscal than in my own head. He created voices and accents so well. I honestly enjoyed listening to this book as much as I did actually reading it.<br />
The theme of the book isn't really something I would normally read- I have only ever read two other books similar to this and that is Howls Moving Castle and Gaiman's Coraline and I think this book has probably opened me up to read more stories of this nature. I'm not wholly sure what genre this would classed as- perhaps surrealism? Paranormal? I'm not sure.<br />
I felt this book was quite similar in a sense to Coraline- the good versus evil, the supernatural, the unknown, the downright scary, the survival and being brave. All very similar. This book is more... magical... than Coraline however. And Coraline is more of a children's book and this one I feel is more of a multiple age group from age 16 and above. Maybe 14.<br />
The only things that held the book back for me a little was that it would get a little bit repetitive and I think that was on purpose but I did start think 'yes.. I've read this line a few times before already...' and towards the end there was a bit more of this repetition going on. I felt the ending was very satisfactory- I know a lot of reviewers complained that the ending doesn't make sense of everything that's gone on but I think that would ruin it. It's not supposed to make sense it's supposed to be about this unknowable world, strange and almost magical and filled with wonders we can't possible understand.<br />
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and if you think this may sound like something you would like, do read it. </div>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-71435758723008930782016-07-24T00:00:00.000+01:002016-07-26T07:49:30.520+01:00Book Review: While My Eyes Were Closed by Linda Green<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">About The Book</span></u></b><br />
Lisa is a busy mum of three. She works at a gym and keeping fit is an important part of her life. She got through life as being a young single teenage parent of her first daughter and went on to be successful in the best way she knows how and went on to have two more children with her husband.<br />
She doesn't always have time to stop and appreciate certain things. She's not the sort of mum who will sit and stare at her children longingly as they sleep and think about how beautiful they are. She misses her lie ins and having a quiet journey in the car without her two youngest children squabbling in the back seat.<br />
But soon that's going to change. Soon she is going to miss hearing those squabbling. Soon she is going to miss not watching her children sleep. Soon, her whole life is going to change.<br />
An innocent trip to the park and a quick game of hide and seek turns into turmoil when someone is watching Lisa and her daughter and sees an opportunity to change everything Lisa holds dear.<br />
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></u><br />
Wow. This book was fantastic. Very gripping. Very relatable in places. Very well written. I read it rather quick, I just didn't want to put it down!<br />
Here we start off reading about a mother who is not one of these 'mumsy mums' you might have heard about. She's just a normal mum, with a busy life and whilst she loves her children she doesn't pretend that it's all plain easy and roses and she has no regrets about that- until her youngest daughter is abducted. It was good to read how this mum doesn't necessarily change into what you might consider a 'mumsy mum' (I think of my own mum as I write that term...) but she begins to realise that she should have spent a bit more time watching and observing and taking things in and appreciating. Even just for a couple of seconds, because you never know if that could be your last chance to do so.<br />
It's something we as parents try not to think about- or if you're like me, you think too much about it!- the possibility of your child being one of those children you see on the news. A parents worst nightmare.<br />
We watch how Lisa tries to handle the situation and how she tries to remain strong but ends up almost pushing people away because after all, who wrote the rules on how to handle a child being abducted?<br />
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I don't want to tell too much about where the story heads because, as usual, I think it's more fun to just read it yourself without knowing. The other half of this book is.. very infuriating. In good way, because of the person involved and their views. You feel yourself feeling very angry towards this person and their views (or I did, perhaps you might agree with this person and empathise and that's fine too) and feeling very frustrated with it. But then this person will make a couple of points which in some places are technicially true and you find yourself reluctantly agreeing with her. Though not often.<br />
The only downside to this book was I felt the ending was a little rushed. To me, it didn't really fall in line with the rest of the theme of the book and how people were reacting to speculations. It just seemed that something was decided and everyone went along with it without any question- unlike in the rest of the book. But other than that, very good. 4.5 starts out of 5.<br /><center>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-72626535796352708162016-07-20T07:15:00.001+01:002016-07-23T19:41:26.311+01:00Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children<div style="text-align: center;">
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I've been pretty excited to read this book and it's a series I was hoping I would want to finish.<br />
I didn't actually read what this book was about, I pretty much just went by the cover and presume the story would just follow 'freak' kids in a children's home. Actually this story is about a 17 year old boy named Jacob who, since he was a child, was told lots of amazing stories by his grandfather about his life as boy living in a children's home which housed kids with some very unusual talents. As Jacob grows up he begins to believe that his grandfathers stories are just tall tales. However, after his grandfather dies by what would seem is creature not of this world and with his last words ringing in his mind he begins to wonder what this place that his grandfather spoke so fondly about really was.<br />
He eventually finds his way to the children's home where he begins to discover that perhaps his grandfathers tales weren't all totally untrue...<br />
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I found this book very entertaining, very nicely written, there was a lot of details to follow with the characters and I really loved the addition of the photographs in the book although for me I think that perhaps the photographs could have stopped after the beginning when Jacob is looking through his grandfathers photographs. Part of why you read a book is so you can create your own image and whilst reading the descriptions of some of the 'peculiar' children it's fun to fill in that image on your own so I did feel I didn't need a photograph for every peculiar child that is described although they were fun to look at, I think perhaps if the photographs were at the end of the book it might have been better placed- for me at least. I imagine it would have been fun to finish the book then look through the pictures. But it certainly didn't ruin it anyway.<br />
The structure of the book was perfect for me- every time I started to just slightly think 'hmm... I think I could skim read this section' (something I do tend to do a lot in books) suddenly something exciting would happen and pick up to catch my interest again. I felt the developments of the characters were really well done, Their personalities almost matching their 'peculiar' talents.<br />
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I'm very looking forward to reading the next book now and seeing what other peculiar's are introduced. I think with the next books though I'll try to not look at the photographs till after I've read the whole book.<br />
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I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars!</div>
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-45204903794063254952016-07-17T00:21:00.000+01:002016-07-18T19:30:21.272+01:00Book vs Movie: The Boy in Striped Pyjamas<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><u><b>ABOUT THE BOOK</b></u><br /><br />I finally got round to reading The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. I hadn't yet watched the film when I read it. <br />The story is told through the mouth of a 9 year old boy, Bruno, living in Berlin during the second World War. His father is in the military and promoted to Commandant and the family is relocated to 'out-with' (which, whilst it's never confirmed, is presumed to be Auschwitz). The story follows the general struggles of the boy with his relocation to a smaller house than he is used to and having to leave his friends and some of his family to a place where there is virtually no one else.... aside from all the people he can see from his bedroom, that live behind a fence and curiously all dress in the same striped pyjamas. Bruno is a child who longs for adventure and to go exploring and so one day he decides to walk up to the end of the fence where he can't be seen and this is where he meets a boy on the other side of the fence named Shmuel who is also the same age as Bruno and thus begins their secret friendship<br /><br />First of all, in Auschwitz, I have double checked this and no, there would not have been a Jewish child of Shmuel and Bruno's age in there. All children not old enough to work were gassed straight away. The author has explained that this is merely a story and the characters are entirely fictional and used to try and show the wilful ignorance of the adult Germans to what was really going on. Personally- to be quite blunt- I can see why this book would have annoyed so many people affected by the holocaust. However... I am leaving that aside so I can review the book for what is.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /><br /><b><u>THE REVIEW</u></b><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I found this book a very easy and very quick read. I literally read it within the day between going to work and doing my usual motherly duties. The book is written in the same way a boy of Bruno's age would be thinking- it is straight the point and uncompromising. It's brooding and moody from Bruno's frustration for his life changing so quickly. Until he meets his friend. He has no idea what the place that his new friend is from actually is. Shmuel doesn't go to great lengths to explain and whilst Bruno notices things such as how dirty and thin Shmuel is, he almost completely ignores it. Bruno asks Shmuel questions about his life, innocently and oblivious to the conditions Shmuel is in. It's sad for you as the reader to see Bruno ask some unknowingly obtuse questions and for Shmuel to answer honestly, yet succintly and for it to go over Bruno's head.<br /><br /><br />The movie was obviously not going to follow quite the same atmosphere as the book. The book is told from the eyes of a 9 year old who doesn't really know what is going on and it's all told very light heartedly, but of course the movie needed to go with a more solemn and heavy hearted theme. The plot was still very much the same though some things were changed- Bruno is 8 rather than 9, you don't get much story of Bruno's frustration of leaving his home and not having any friends to play with, you don't see as much of the sister although you do see her becoming more and more following the ways that is expected of her country at the time, Bruno's head was never shaved, their birthdays were not mentioned, the demise of the mother was much better documented in the film whilst the horribleness of the Lieutent Kotler was downplayed. Opting for the mothers story was far more important to the movie for it to flow with where the film was going.<br />Bruno in the film wasn't quite as ignorant to what being a Jew meant in the eyes of the Germans. He knew they were seen as evil but was still ignorant to going ons that were really happening where Schmuel was living.<br />The ending was slightly different. I'm not sure if it really had to be... it possibly could have followed the book and I feel it would have been more heart wrenching. I felt more crushed by the ending of the book than I did of the film.<br /><br />Other than the small changes this was a very good interpretation of the book and stuck to bits it had to stick with and embellished parts that needed it to make the film work. Even with the ending they went with I can see why they chose to have be like that, I think an audience would have found the book ending too frustrating.<br /><br />I would recommend watching the movie first then reading the book<br /><br />Very easy read and the movie isn't too horrendous to watch like some other films surrounding this sort of subject may be. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br />I don't think this book is very well known at all, I didn't even know this book existed until one of my very close friends was telling me she was reading this and how much she loved it and that I should give it a go<br /><br />So I did.. and .. wow... I loved it. I really can't tell you too much about this book, I can't give much of a review of this book without giving away the plot. I read this book not knowing at all what this book is about and to be honest I think that's the best way to read it. You can tell early on where the book is heading and it's not so much a spoiler to even mention it here but I feel like I enjoyed it more because I didn't know where it was heading<br /><br />So the story starts off with this beautiful blond haired Norwiegen 5 year old boy named Rune moving into a house in America and meets his new neighbour- a girl of his age, Poppy, and they start a friendship. When Poppy is 8 years old her grandmother who she sees as one of her best friends passes away and she shows Poppy a jar with lots of little paper inside and she explains to her that each of the pieces papers are all the best ever kisses she ever gotten- all 1000 of them. She gives Poppy the jar and tells her to spend her life filling it.<br />After this Poppy and Rune kiss and from then on they are inseparable- until they are both 17 and Runes father tells him that work has moved him back to Norway and they have to leave the next morning. Angry and heartbroken Rune vows he will never forgive his father for making him leave Poppy behind and it's from this point their story heads into life changing challenges.<br /><br />I really enjoyed the writing for this book. It was very beautiful. Had I read this a couple of years ago I would have probably vomited from how 'lovey dovey' is it and, at times, quite corny, but reading it now I absolutely loved it. I loved being submerged in the story and I read this book so quick. And yes.. there was a few tears in there along the way!<br /><br />If you are a young adult romance contemporary fiction fan then this book is for you. Get all over this book, I urge you. You may find this book very similar to another book... you will know which book I am talking about when you read it, but try not to hate on it just for that reason and enjoy. It's not as good as.. said book I am talking about (are you intrigued yet?) but to be honest whilst there are some parts which are very similar it is different- the writing style, the romance- all very different.<br /><br />Come back here and let me know if you read it and if you loved it, if you hated it, what parts you hated, what parts you loved, or if you just thought it 'meh... yeah it was alright...'<br /><br />But give it a try and see what you think.<br /><br />(I may have gotten the ages in the timeline wrong... I've read a few books since this one and I struggled even remember their names lol!)</span></div><div align="center">
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readingwithlaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03163274807811676845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589768285398230533.post-62411251100821402392016-07-10T07:00:00.000+01:002016-07-12T17:46:24.365+01:00Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rainbow Rowell has certainly made a stamp in the YA genre and her books usually get a great amount of buzz and hype all over the interwebz. I myself am now intrigued to read many if not all her books. Since I already had this one my kindle, I decided to give this one a try. I'd heard a lot of hype about this book and I'll follow the hype to lead me to a possible good read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fangirl has been an odd one for me. I can see why young adults and teenagers would instantly LOVE this straight from the off. For me... it's not been <i>quite</i> that straight forward. I have found this book enjoyable, and the characters have been developed well and the situations are very relatable. I can't say I really <i>loved </i>any of the characters. I liked them enough to stay interested.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> This is a story is literally just about a girl's life and it feels real. I like that. She's started uni and feels out of place, she's 'weird' because her hobbies are not something typical for her age (welcome to my whole life LOL), she's very shy, likes to keep to herself and submerge herself in a fantasy life (.. again.. hello me..) she's got trouble with her sister, her dad, her mum, she got boy trouble... it's all just.. well. <b>RELATABLE.</b> Thats the main word here so I can totally see why many young adults really like this book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I can see myself rereading this book at another point in my life when I'd probably submerge myself in it completely. I think that's the only thing that's holding me back from loving it is that I'm not feeling the 'submerge' with this book. Things such as... "<i>I've read 18 chapters and I'm only 50 percent through this book... and I can't even really tell you what happened for 40 percent of it</i>..." is what is hanging this book back for me. It's quite a long book. I felt like there was parts in there that didn't have to be there. I wasn't a huge fan of the excerpts of the fan fiction either. After a while, I just started skipping those parts entirely. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Rowell has since bought out a book called Carry On which is the story that featured in Fangirl- it might be worth reading Carry On before you read this book)</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, contradictory to what I just said, because this is a story which doesn't just follow one road of life, it takes you down most roads of her life you can understand why all these bits are in there because it does explain and develop later parts of the story.<br />It's a sweet story, not too heavy, and I definitely recommend it if you're a fan of contemporary YA books.<br /><br />I find it hard to rate this book because half of me REALLY enjoyed this book and the half was a bit 'meh' by it... but mostly I did enjoy it so I give this 4 our of 5 stars.</span></div><center>
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