Monday, 31 January 2011
Matched Winner Re-Drawn
Because the previous winner has not got back to me a new winner for an arc of Matched has been drawn.
And the winner is…
Stephanie H
Congrats Steph! The rules state that you have 48 hours to reply with your details to the email I’ve sent you but because my computer is caput at the moment I’m willing to allow an extra couple days because frankly re-drawing winners when you don’t have a computer is a PAIN and the last winner had the advantage of having longer to get back to me too. So for this once I’ll make an exception :)
Happy reading till next time folks!
Jess x
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Review for The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Labels:
3.5 star reviews,
Book for Review
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
And the winner is…
Delirium- Sally Bolingbroke
Matched- Sonya M
Congratulations winners! I have sent an email to both of you, you will have 48 hours to reply else another winner will be chosen.
I’d just like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who’s entered this giveaway and to who left me comments wishing me a happy birthday- I had a lovely day. This giveaway was hugely successful and has bumped me up to 347 followers so to say thank you I will soon be hosting a 300/350 maybe? Follower giveaway so stay tuned for that and until next time happy reading!
Jess x
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
My 21st Birthday Giveaway!
Hi guys! As some of you may know it’s my 21st birthday this Sunday and to celebrate I’m going to be giving away 2 arcs of 2 of my favourite books Delirium by Lauren Oliver and Matched by Ally Condie. Want to enter? Of course you do! So let’s get on to the important stuff ^_^
WHICH FUTURE WILL YOU CHOOSE?

To find out more about Delirium read my review here

To find out more about Matched read my review here
Rules
* Open Internationally
* Followers of this blog only
* Contest ends 25th January 2011
* Two winners will be chosen by random.org (unless you’re lucky enough to win both)
* The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn
* Your details will only be used if you win
Please note before you enter that these are Advance reader copies and are not the finished product. Now for your chance to enter please fill in the form, good luck!
This giveaway is now CLOSED and winners have been announced here
Monday, 17 January 2011
Review for Other Words For Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
Labels:
5 star review
Friday, 14 January 2011
Random Ramblings (1) You don't read!...do you?
Random Ramblings is a new feature I’m starting on my blog. They may sometimes be book related, sometimes they might be personal. One thing for sure is there all going to be my thoughts and opinions on things and it should help you all get to know me better. So let’s get on with it! I hope you like them and I would really appreciate some feedback in the comments letting me know your thoughts on the feature as a whole or about the subject matter.
The other day I got to thinking about stereotypes and snobbery when it comes to books and reading. I still remember the day I bought my first serious boyfriend home. We’d been going out for 3 weeks and were still in that less talking more can’t keep our hands off each other new relationship faze. We really didn’t know much about each other at that point, anyway he came into my room and stared bug eyed open mouthed at the pile of books on my bedside table. His shock soon turned into confusion as he asked “ you don’t read!...do you?” in an amused voice. Truth was I wasn’t that surprised. I’d gotten it since high school. I went on to tell him that yes I loved books and reading and why should he be so surprised? He then answered that I didn’t look like the kind of girl who read books for fun. As I said this wasn’t the first time someone had said that to me but it’s the one in my memory that most stands out.
As you can probably tell from my blog I’m very much a girly girl, always have been although it really came to a height of constantly wearing pink and loving anything glittery in high school. I was never one of the popular crowd but I wasn’t exactly a misfit either. I was in a fairly respected clique and whilst I wasn’t right at the top of the high school popularity chain I was still fairly high up. The popular girls would invite us to parties and things so I guess we were considered “cool” to some extent. So because I was one of “those girls” people always found it shocking when they learned that I was a big time nerd behind the perfume and pink. I had a brain and liked to exercise it regularly by reading.
Another time that stands out to me was when we were waiting for an English class to start, I noticed this girl who was considered really uncool reading a Harry Potter book. That kind of stuff never mattered to me and of course being a book worm I was hugely excited and went right up to her and had a good old natter about good old Harry and Hogwarts. It wasn’t until I got up to leave that I realised that *everybody* was staring at us, whispering, wondering why I was talking to this girl. Wondering what on earth we possibly had in common.
I feel that these days since the popularity of twilight reading has definitely become more accepted and I’m glad of that. I’m glad that more and more people are discovering why reading is awesome and that people are embracing the types of books they like to read without fear of judgment. It may sound trivial but not feeling like I fit in made a big difference to my confidence in high school and it makes me want to use my blog to change people’s perceptions on reading. Reading is fun and you should never feel ashamed for reading what you like to read. Read Young Adult and hold your head up high, heck read Mills and Boon and don’t try to hide the cover at the beach! Support the books you love because if you don’t show your love for them how is anybody else going to discover them? So here’s a note to anyone who’s ever asked me why I liked to read, who’s ever been either shocked that I could possibly enjoy a book or that I enjoy reading a certain type of book. I LOVE books! And you should really try it some time. Because it truly, freakin’, ROCKS.
Although since high school my extreme legally blond faze has calmed down, I am still at heart a very girly girl. So even to this day if I meet a reader 90 per cent of the time they’ll look down their nose at me. Because I enjoy YA and Chick-lit there not “proper” books and so I’m not really a serious reader. How dare I try and talk about a classic? Surely I’ve only watched the TV adaption? Go back to your vampires little girl and let us real readers discuss books.
I’ve been stereotyped my whole life and as a teenager that was hard. I never felt like I quiet fit in with any group of people. The “serious readers” would snob on me for not reading “proper” books and my friends just wouldn’t get why I liked to read full stop. People have never really understood how I could be into so many different things and I think it hurt a lot of peoples brains trying to figure out a label to put on me. It wasn’t until I found the world of book blogging that I discovered people who got me and didn’t turn their noses up at the fact that yes I read chick-lit and preferred YA to other genres but I also love historical fiction and classics and fantasy too. I’ve found people who love books from all over the world. Who have different races and interests and personalities, who read all kinds of books completely busting the geeky stereotype that goes along with a reader.
Labels:
Books,
Personal,
Random Ramblings
Review for Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Labels:
5 star review
Book Bloggers Hop & Follow My Book Blog Friday!
Hello to all my wonderful followers and to hopefully some potential new ones! This Friday I’m participating in The Book Bloggers Hop which is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books and Follow my Book Blog Friday that’s hosted over at Parajunkee's View. If you wish to take part please stop by there and sign the Mr Linky.
This week's question from The Hop is…
Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?
Well I read a lot of different genre’s and love a lot of different genres. But I can hardly ever pull myself away from YA long enough to read any of them. I love how the genre of YA really covers a whole lot of other genres. It can be contemporary fiction or sci-fi or paranormal romance there’s so much choice when you go to the YA section of a bookstore. Being only 20 I still feel very much like a teenager myself and can connect to teen characters more than say a 30 year old heroine with kids and a divorce on her plate. I love the characters and I love the possibilities that come when you pick up a YA book and that’s why it’s my drug of choice.
This week's question from Follow Friday is…
What makes up your non-human family??
I only have the one fur baby my 4 year old labradoodle Dylan. He’s a cross between a poodle and a Labrador so if you haven’t heard of them before just picture a really fluffy Labrador. He’s HUGE and because he’s so big and fluffy we nickname him Bear. When people see the size of him their usually intimidated but he’s the biggest softy and would make the worst guard dog ever! That being said I’m not just a dog person I also love cats but unfortunately with having a huge dog I can’t get a cat but that doesn’t mean I don’t love swooning over the cuteness of other peoples cats! I’ve never had a cat before but would love to be a proud owner of one someday.
Thank you for stopping by my blog!! Please leave me a link back to yours if you are a new follower so I can return the hello :-)


Labels:
Book blog Friday,
book bloggers hop
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them! (5)
The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it! Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!
My Pick for this Week

Stefans Diaries 2: Bloodlust by L. J. Smith
Yep, yep, yep, yep. Oh I went there! This is one of the finest covers out at the moment and why? Oh only because Ian Somerhalder’s beaut of a face takes up seventy five per cent of the cover. I’m not usually a fan of movie or TV show covers but when the actors are as hot as The Vampire Diaries boys? Eh why not! So I have this slight obsession not with Ian Somerhalder (Ok maybe a little bit with Ian Somerhalder) but with Damon’s actual character in The Vampire Diaries. I LOVE him. He’s hilarious and bad ass and oh so charming. So when I spotted this cover in my bookshop on Tuesday I knew it was going to be my Cover’s choice this week. I would quite happily lick Ian’s face and if I can’t get close enough to the man himself then this cover will do in the meantime. Am I right or am I right ladies?
So that’s my cover for this week. Feel free to leave me comments letting me know what you think of this feature and if you ever get insane lust over a book cover, does a lovely cover influence you buying the book? Let me know and don’t forget to stop by Rachel’s blog to find out what cover she’d like to Lick this week!
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Waiting On Wednesday

Labels:
waiting on wednesday
Monday, 10 January 2011
Review for Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Labels:
3.5 star reviews,
Book for Review
Sunday, 9 January 2011
In My Mailbox!
In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren
Hey guys! I decided to take a break from the completely enthralling Across the Universe by Beth Revis and do my IMM post for this week. I didn’t get any books for review this week so everything you see is bought by yours truly. So without further ado let’s bring out the books!
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
XVI by Julia Karr
Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
SO excited about all of these! If you’ve read any of the books I got this week and want to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought please do and make sure you leave me a link to what you got in your mailbox. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead :-)

Thursday, 6 January 2011
Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them! (4)
The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it! Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!
My Pick for this Week

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

Labels:
Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Review for Entangled by Cat Clarke
Labels:
5 star review,
Book for Review
Monday, 3 January 2011
2010’s Book of the Year!
Hi guys as some of you may know I was without a computer for a month and so didn’t get to do Novembers book of the month, and of course there’s also Decembers book of the month to do so before I announce the overall most awesome book of the year I’m going to present to you November and Decembers books of the month Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!
And now it’s on to the book awards of 2010, this is a post in which I’m going to share with you my highs reading wise of the year and my favourite books for different categories depending on what you’re looking for. First of all though I’m going to start off by announcing the overall book of the year which means that it was my very favourite read and one that I would absolutely recommend to everybody so without further delay…
2010’s book of the year is… Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly!
This is my favourite book of the year by far. I just absolutely adored everything about it and would recommend it to absolutely anyone and everyone. To find out more about Revolution stop by my review for it here.
Here’s my list of each book of the month in order of awesomeness!
1.) Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (October)
2.) Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (November)
3.) The Shadow of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (January)
4.) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (August)
5.) Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (May)
6.) Angel by L.A. Weatherly (September)
7.) Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (March)
8.) Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert (February)
9.) Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (December)
10.) Two-way Street by Lauren Barnholdt (July)
11.) Sea by Heidi R. Kling (June)
12.) The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (April)
Best Plot: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Best Writing: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Best Cover: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Best Characters: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Best Ending: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Best Romance: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Most un-put-down-able: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Most Memorable: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Best Moral: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Revolution, Last Sacrifice (VA series) and Angel.
So there you have it my very favourite books of 2010! I plan on doing an international giveaway soon where one lucky person will win their book of choice out of this list of 2010 favourites. So if you’re interested in that make sure you keep a look out! I hope you’ll all check these titles out and I hope 2011 brings if not the same then even better reading than last year!
All links take you to reviews on my blog. If a book is unlinked it is because I haven’t reviewed it most likely because I didn’t have a blog at the time I read it.



Labels:
Book of the Month,
Book of the Year
Review for The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

Labels:
4 star review,
Book for Review
Saturday, 1 January 2011
In My Mailbox: The Christmas Edition
In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren
Hello everyone! This is my first post of 2011 and what better way to kick start things off than doing an IMM post? This haul is going to be HUGE. I got lots of wonderful books for Christmas and spent a good chunk of my Christmas money on books. I also got sent some books for review which is always very exciting. So without further ado let’s bring out the books!
Gifts
Pegasus by Robin McKinley
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S King (Thanks Rach!)
Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
Beautiful by Amy Reed
Lauren Conrad: Style
Through Thick and Thin: My Autobiography by Gok Wan
The Fledgling Handbook by P. C. Cast and Kim Doner
Bought with Christmas Money
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (OMG SO EXCITED!)
Awakened by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Tyme's End by B. R. Collins
0.4 by Mike Lancaster
Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk
Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
For Review
Across the Universe by Beth Revis (ARC from UK book tours)
The Pain Merchants: Book One by Janice Hardy ( from Harper Collins)
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White ( from Harper Collins)
Solid by Shelley Workinger ( Signed ARC from the author)
So to sum up my Christmas was pretty fantastic and I hope you all got some awesome books too! Huge thank yous go to my family and everybody mentioned above for these books I can’t wait to read them. If you’ve read any of the books I got this week and want to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought please do and make sure you leave me a link to what you got in your mailbox. Here’s to another great year of reading ahead :-)



Labels:
Book for Review,
Books,
Christmas,
IMM
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