26 Bookish Facts About Me

Today is my 26th birthday and so I thought it would be fun to do a more personal post and share 26 bookish facts about me - one for every year of my life. I hope you enjoy finding out more about me!

1.) On average I read 50 pages in forty minutes.
2.) My Nan is the only family member who regularly reads my blog (Hi Nan!)
3.) I started book blogging because I wanted a place where I could keep my book reviews together (I posted reviews on Amazon for about a year before I started this blog) I had no idea that the UKYA community existed!
4.) The first author I ever met was John Green.
5.) It takes me an hour and a half to write and format a book review.
6.) I met my best friend Ray on a Twilight fan forum.
7.) My favourite genre changes constantly! If you were to ask me right now my favourite genre is Fantasy.
8.) One Christmas, when I was a teenager, I spent the entirety of Christmas day in bed reading the books that I got for Christmas.
9.) I often recommend books to strangers in bookshops if I see them pick up something I love.
10.) My reviews are quoted in 21 books to date.
11.) My favourite blog posts to write are reviews.
12.) My favourite female author is J.K. Rowling (obviously.)
13.) I've met all of my close friends through books be that through blogging or book events.
14.) I find it really hard to finish a series. If there's a long period between book releases I lose interest in the story.
15.) I once bought a book that I already owned by accident.
16.) I collect bookmarks and own over a hundred.
17.) My favourite male author is Brandon Sanderson.
18.) I love treating my friends to books, whether that is gifting them a book once I've finished reading it or buying them a book just because.
19.) Twice when I've been on holiday I've spent the entire day in our holiday rental so that I could finish up a book I was engrossed in. The first time was for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the second time was last year for Queen of Shadows.
20.) My favourite place to read is outdoors.
21.) Some of my favourite childhood memories are of visiting the library.
22.) I only keep my absolute favourite books. The rest I gift to friends or donate to my local second hand bookshop.
23.) When we were kids my brother got a poem that he wrote published in a book. I was so jealous that I vowed that I'd have something that I wrote published in a book one day too and I did!
24.) My favourite reading snack is popcorn.
25.) I'm currently (trying) to write three books: a Middle Grade book about pirates, a gritty contemporary YA and an adult Christmas book!
26.) I'm considering getting a bookish tattoo.

Colour Me Mindful

 

Colour Me Mindful by Anastasia Catris 

Over the past year I’ve really gotten into the adult colouring book craze. With my anxiety there’s not much that allows me to escape from my thoughts and relax, if my anxiety is really bad I find that even reading a book doesn’t help because I can’t concentrate on it, but colouring is a great hobby that helps me unwind, be creative and do something that is just for me.

Recently I’ve been loving three books in the Colour Me Mindful series by Anastasia Catris and those are the Butterflies, Enchanted Creatures and Seasons editions. There are so many brilliant colouring books out there at the moment but what I like about this particular series is how small they are, they’re perfect for popping in your handbag and are a comfortable size to colour on your lap if, like me, you like to do a bit of colouring in front of the television. I find that I can colour one of these pictures in an evening which is lovely because I do get a bit bored if I’m colouring the same thing in for weeks at a time.

My colouring from Enchanted Creatures

What I love most about this series is that it offers something for everyone. There are six books out in total so far with each of them having a different theme. My personal favourite is Enchanted Creatures which is full of fairies, unicorns, dragons and other wondrous things that I loved to colour when I was a little girl. I find that this one really opens my imagination and is perfect for anyone who loves fantasy.

At the moment I’ve found myself reaching more for the Seasons edition which has lots of beautiful Christmas themed pictures to colour in. I think that what makes Seasons so brilliant is that unlike the other Christmas and Winter themed colouring books I’ve seen around it won’t be made redundant once Christmas is over. This little book is packed full of gorgeous artwork capturing all four seasons and special occasions throughout the year such as New Year, Halloween and Easter. I haven’t seen another colouring book like this one and think it’s perfect for all year round.

My colouring from Seasons

For only £4.99 each I think that these colouring books are excellent value for money and would make brilliant stocking fillers if you have somebody who loves colouring to buy for this Christmas. Or if like me you’d love to do some Christmas and Winter themed colouring this season. I’ve found that putting on some Christmas songs and colouring a festive piece has quickly become one of my favourite ways to unwind from the stress of Christmas.

When the colouring craze first started I didn’t really think it would be for me but I’ve quickly become addicted. If you’re someone who finds it hard to relax I’d really recommend giving them a go. I’ve seen a few people knock colouring as a “pointless hobby” but I think that’s what’s great about it. It’s so nice to do something that is just for you and purely for fun that’s both creative and relaxing and I’ve loved getting lost in the imagination of Anastasia Catris.

My colouring from Butterflies

 The Colour Me Mindful series is available to buy now 

Copies received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

 Check out my colouring in on Instagram

Follow Anastasia Catris on Twitter @acatris

Blogging Break

Hi everyone, this is just a quick little update post to let you know that I won't be around for a while. I'm going on holiday tomorrow and when I get back my puppy is getting spayed which will take her a little while to recover from so she'll be needing more care and attention than usual for a few days after the op. I'll be returning to the blog towards the end of September. I hope you enjoy the last days of summer and some of the exciting September releases while I'm gone. I can't wait to return refreshed and excited for Autumn.

Guest Post: UKYA Community Shares the Magic of Books

Today I am sharing with you something a little bit different and special. Over the last few weeks I've been working on a project with my friend and English teacher Kate Hamer to raise book donations for the pupils at her school. What started off as the idea of handing a few books out turned into a major event when hundreds of books came flooding in thanks to the generosity of the UKYA community. I've invited Kate to share a post today about the event that gave her students the chance to read.

UKYA: Making a difference by Kate Hamer 

Something magical happened to me last Thursday thanks to the UKYA community - I got to watch 130 of my students fall in love with books.

I should probably introduce myself briefly - I'm Kate, I'm 23 and I'm a long suffering bibliophile. In January 2015, I started working as a English Graduate Academic Mentor at an inner-city secondary school. Fancy title, huh? It basically means that I am not only responsible for teaching classes, but also for conducting intense literacy intervention. I soon realised that many of my students didn't own a single book of their own - books are a luxury which for many of my students are not possible. As an avid reader, it became my mission to change this. Books had been instrumental to my survival during my challenging, lonely teenage years - they helped me not only lose myself for a little while, but to find myself too. I wanted to give my students the same opportunity.

Luckily for me, I have been quite involved in the UKYA community for years, through my English degree where I specialised in young adult fiction, to my internship with a New York literary agent, and through attending author events and signings. I knew that the UKYA community was extremely passionate about encouraging young people to read and hoped that they would be interested in getting onboard.

The amazing Jess of JessHeartsBooks (HI JESS!!) grabbed hold of the initiative when I approached her and promoted it to her thousands of followers. Overnight, my Twitter blew up, with hundreds of bloggers, authors and publishing professionals contacting me to make donations. Going into work the next day and telling the school's super-hero librarian is something that will stick with me forever.

I'd initially hoped for around 50 books. When we passed the two hundred book milestone, I suddenly realised that this had become much bigger than I had ever dreamed - it meant that over a hundred students would go home with books of their own this summer. Suddenly, the school's PR was all over the story, as were the local press. As I began to plan an Alice in Wonderland themed event to distribute the books, deliveries kept arriving. Boxes, packets, envelopes and crates filled to the brim with books began to stock up in reception. For that month, I spent more time in reception signing for packages than in my classroom!

With the event drawing closer, Willy Wonka style Golden Tickets were created to invite students to the top secret event. Excitement quickly built amongst students and staff - students who were lucky enough to receive a ticket were seen (and heard!) skipping down the corridors singing 'I've got a golden ticket.' The only staff members fully informed about the event was Elaine the librarian, and Paul the Principal (who had been sworn to secrecy with the threat of “off with his head").

The day before the event, impatient staff and students crowded around the library, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was happening behind closed doors. Reams of bunting, character silhouettes and balloons helped transform the library into Wonderland. Mountains of homemade cakes and delicious fizzy drinks awaited the students. The three hundred books donated were scattered on the tables – hidden amongst them were signed copies, first editions and proof copies of books not yet released!

 At 10.10AM, the first group of students arrived, animatedly discussing what might be behind the doors. As they entered en-masse, there were audible gasps and their faces were full of wonder. I spoke to the students for a few minutes about my previous work experience, the incredible UKYA community and the power of social media. Students were then welcome to browse the books and select a number. As they were reading , cupcakes, jam tarts and fizzy drinks with flamingo straws were brought around for them to enjoy. After enjoying half an hour of reading, students then wrote a short thank you note to all who donated, whilst proudly clutching their new books. For the rest of the day, I had teachers reporting back to me that students had returned to lessons and sat at the back of the room reading their books instead of enjoying the traditional end of term film.

It was a day I will never forget for the rest of my life - my students are not from privileged backgrounds, but they are characters, full of imagination, sass and potential. I have no doubt the gifts which bloggers, authors and publishing professions gave them will change their lives. In the words of Dahl, 'We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams' ... Today, UKYA, you are the music makers, you are the dreamers of dreams.

Quotes from students:
"Thank you for my new book. It will be great! I will take lots of care of it.' - Christine, aged 12 

 "I chose The Baby because it's fascinating. Unlike a lot of books I read, this one really interested me' - Viktoria, aged 15

 "Thank you for my book, Vendetta by Catherine Doyle, I can relate to it' - Shakirah, aged 15 

 "Thank you so much for my copy of Louis Sachar's new books. I cant wait to read it in my caravan!' - Jak, aged 12 

 For more information about the event you can follow Kate on Twitter @kate2606

YALC Tips for Coping with Anxiety

So a lot of you will know that I suffer from very severe anxiety and during the build up to YALC 2014 I got incredibly anxious and posted about it here. Last year I had a lot of people come up to me saying that they felt the same way and so I decided to share with you my tips on how to cope with YALC related anxiety in the hope that it might help someone who is currently feeling the same way that I did last year.

1.) Be Prepared 
About a week before going away I like to start getting organised. I plan out my outfits for the weekend, go shopping for anything I need and make a list of what to pack. I like to spread this out over the week so that I’m not flustered trying to get everything ready the night before or the day of. This also means that on the day I’m leaving I’m not in a rush and have time to take a breather and calm my thoughts. Leaving everything to the last minute just makes you stressed which you really don’t need on top of anxiety.

2.) Be Realistic
Create your own schedule for YALC listing the key things that you want to do over the weekend and the time and day that they’re on. The thing about YALC is that so many amazing things are happening all at once and it’s impossible to do everything you want to so don’t expect to. I think it’s important to be realistic about what you can do with your anxiety. Don’t put pressure on yourself to join a massive queue if you know that it’s going to trigger your anxiety. Know your limitations and do what you’re comfortable with and make time in your schedule for lots of chances to step away from the crowds and take a break.

3.) Arrive Early 
If you can, try to arrive at the venue early. The crowds waiting to get in are pretty insane and the sooner you can get in the less time you have to stand in them. It’s also a good idea to take some time before any events start to get your bearings. Know where the nearest exit, toilet and food stand is in case you need them. Try and find a quiet spot to set as a meeting point with your friends in case you lose each other in the crowd or go to different panels. The more I know about an area the more comfortable I feel.

4.) Be Comfortable
I love the idea of cosplaying and I love looking at other people’s costumes but for me personally being comfortable comes first. I know that if I was to dress up I’d constantly worry if my outfit was okay and I couldn’t deal with strangers looking at me or taking pictures. It also gets very hot in the venue and I know I’d feel more comfortable in my comfy trainers and a favourite t-shirt. On the other hand if you’d feel more confident taking on the persona of a badass character or want to represent your favourite fandom by wearing a themed outfit then you do that! Ignore what your friends and other people are doing and do what feels the most comfortable to you.

5.) The Power of Distraction 
Make sure you take with you something that calms you. This could be a book that you can get lost in, a favourite playlist on your phone to listen to or some soothing hand cream to massage into your hands. Have something with you that can be pulled out any time that you can feel anxiety creeping on to distract you from how you’re feeling and take your mind off what’s bothering you.

6.) Organization 
This tip also ties back in to being prepared. I like to make things as easy as I can for myself by being organized. A great tip I learnt from going to a lot of author signings is to pack your books in the order that you’ll need them for each signing. Then once they’re signed place them at the bottom of your bag. This will save a lot of time and saves you taking all of your books out to look for a particular book every time. I also like to place a post it note with my name on the title page of each book ready for the author to sign and dedicate your book to you. This is especially helpful to them if you have an unusual name or it can be spelled in different ways take Claire and Clare for example.

7.) The Reading Zone is a Safe Haven 
So anybody going to YALC who has anxiety should know that The Reading Zone is a safe haven from the craziness that is LFCC. I honestly don’t think I would have survived a day without it last year. The YALC organizers have already confirmed that it will be back again this year. It’s a quiet place to take a breather or sit and read for a while. I strongly recommend checking it out if at any point you feel like you need to take a break.

8.) Remember Your Goal
My last piece of advice is to try and remember why you are there. What made you want to come to YALC in the first place? Maybe it was to get a book signed by a favourite author, to get some invaluable writing advice from professionals or to meet online friends. Whatever your reason for attending keep that goal in mind. Keeping my goal in mind makes me more determined to push through those anxious moments and when you achieve your goal take a moment to celebrate! Be proud that your anxiety did not stop you from doing what you wanted to do. Enjoy your moment, trust me – it’s a big deal!

I hope that these tips might be useful to you and help you to have an amazing weekend at YALC! 

If you have anxiety and are attending YALC please don't hesitate to contact me at @JessHeartsBooks on Twitter and I'll support you in the build up to YALC in any way that I can. 

Know that you're not alone and that we can do this!

Is it book bloggers' job to sell books?

“Do book bloggers sell books?” this is a question that gets thrown into the air every so often be it from publishers, readers or authors and each time it’s met with heated debate and generally concludes on the fact that because there aren’t any concrete numbers to go off, nobody really knows for sure. But I’ve started to wonder is it book bloggers’ job to sell books? For me personally, that answer is no.

When I started blogging five years ago I didn’t start this blog as a way of bookselling. I started it for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to discuss my thoughts and opinions on books I love with other people who have read them, I wanted to find other people with the same tastes as me and get recommendations on what else they’ve enjoyed, I wanted to share my excitement about an upcoming release and have somebody say “me too!” and that for me, five years later, hasn’t changed.

It wasn’t until a few months into blogging that publishers and authors would contact me and I was made aware that me fangirling about books to my online friends was somehow helping them whether in book sales, raising more awareness for a book or inspiring more people to read at all. The fact that my blog can help this industry that I love so much makes me happy but it’s not what I’m here for, if it didn’t, I’d still blog.

Placing a book bloggers worth on how many books we might potentially sell is massively misunderstanding what we do. Book bloggers are important to the industry because they shine a light on reading. Our enthusiasm for books is contagious and whether somebody reads a review of mine and buys the book, checks it out of the library, adds it to a wishlist or discards it as not for them isn’t the be all and end all for me. What’s important to me is that people are taking the time to read a post about books and are thinking about them and talking to me about them because that spark of being interested and excited and passionate about books is what I’m here for.

I don’t think that a book bloggers purpose it to sell books because as a whole we are doing something more important. We are getting to the root of why people buy books in the first place. We are nurturing a love of reading, we are creating an ongoing conversation about books, and we have created a community of diversity and different voices that are united by one thing: a passion for books. That is what will make someone not only buy one book in their lifetime – but several. This is what turns a reader into a book lover and this is what I’m here for.

Oh, hi there!

So to get straight to the point...

and god have I missed this! This blogging break has been so good for me in rekindling my love for blogging and I'm back now feeling fresh and bursting with enthusiasm to talk books again. I'm also feeling better mentally. My new counsellor is fantastic and although it's still early days it feels good to be addressing my problems head on. I'm also loving being a new puppy parent! Megan has settled in so well. She's so loving and obedient and loves nothing more than learning tricks, she's seriously so smart and is killing it at puppy school. Now we are finally getting some nice weather here in the UK I'm loving having days with her outside in the garden. Whilst I read she loves chasing her ball, splashing in the water and basking in the sun.

Megan

I'm in a better place now and have a lot to look forward to this summer. I'm going to be seeing Taylor Swift in concert with my best friend this month, and I'm also hugely looking forward to YALC in July. I hope that things have been good for you since we last talked and that there are people still here glad to have me back! Thank you for being so patient with me. I'm looking forward to talking books with you all again. I've been reading some great stuff and you can bet there will be reviews up soon!

Goodbye For Now

Hi everyone,

So you may have noticed these last couple of months that I haven't been posting as regularly as usual here on the blog. This has been for a number of reasons: I've been grieving for Dylan, battling a burst of increased depression and anxiety and lately, in truth, I've felt burnt out with blogging.

Since starting this blog almost 5 years ago now I've had the odd week or two away for holiday's and things but I've never had a really long break. It's gotten to the point this past month where I really haven't been enjoying blogging and have approached it with a sense of dread and when I don't post I end up feeling really guilty. It's bizarre because I'm still buzzing with ideas for the blog and am enjoying reading so I'm not really sure where this has come from other than my increased depression which can make you lose interest in hobbies. It came to the point the other week where I was really considering saying goodbye to this blog for good.

I've been thinking about this long and hard and have come to the conclusion that I shouldn't make any hasty decisions whilst feeling this way but at the same time I really, really need a break and so I'm going to be taking a complete break from blogging in April and possibly May too depending on how I feel.

April is an ideal time for me to take a break. We're getting a new puppy on Sunday and I want to give her my undivided attention and start getting her trained. I'm also (hopefully) going to be starting private counselling - a big step for me. Although I've had different therapy before I've always put off counselling. I have a lot of trauma in my past that I feel like I'm ready to confront now in order to move on. I've been told by a lot of mental health professionals that this will open up a can of worms and I'm going to feel worse before I feel better and so to have some space to do that without beating myself up because I don't feel like blogging will be ideal.

My hope is that after a month or two away focusing on other aspects of my life I'll feel ready to return and will have that old passion to talk about books returned to me. I've got so many fun ideas for blog posts jotted down and that love for blogging is still there, there are just other things I need to focus on right now guilt free.

In the meantime I'll still be around on Twitter, Goodreads and Instagram - especially Instagram - I have a new account just for my puppy Megan you can follow her here if you like.

I hope you understand and stick with me until I'm back on my feet.

Keep happy and keep reading until next time.

Jess x

Meeting Gayle Forman

On Saturday 7th March 2015 I met Gayle Forman. I’ve met so many amazing authors over the past year but this was a particularly special event for me. Just One Day was one of those rare and special books that went beyond simply being what I’d consider a favourite book. Reading it literally changed my life.

When I was diagnosed with Anxiety my world became very small. It was easier to not go out and do things because then I wouldn’t have to deal with the sickening fear that occurs even when I do the most basic things like, walking to the top of my street, for example. For a long time my house became my safe place and even leaving my house was a big deal that would make my heart race with panic. Even though Just One Day isn’t a book about mental health it is about doing what scares you and the good that can come out of it. It made me realise that life waits for no one, that it is happening now. I closed the book feeling braver. I started saying “yes” to life even though I was terrified of it. Just One Day is so much more than a favourite book. It gave me my life back. It opened up the world to me.

“It's funny the things you think you're scared of until they're upon you, and then you're not.” ― Gayle Forman, Just One Day

Being able to meet Gayle Forman felt like my journey with Just One Day had come full circle. Here I was, a girl who was too afraid to even leave her house, going out into the world to meet the person who made life feel like a possibility again. I’m usually quite relaxed when meeting authors these days (although there is excitement there, of course) but I felt very nervous during her talk to the point where I’m not sure exactly how much I took in! Whilst I was waiting in line to meet her I kept running over and over in my head what I wanted to say to her. How do you explain the momentum somebody has had on your life in a few short minutes?

When it was my turn to meet Gayle I sat down and kind of blurted out the outline of my story all at once. I told her about how my life used to be controlled by Anxiety and how Just One Day changed my outlook on how I view the things that make me scared. It made me realise that just because you’re afraid of something, even terrified, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. That life waits for no one and if you’re not out there living it, you miss it.

“Or maybe it's not a miracle. Maybe this is just life. When you open yourself up to it. When you put yourself in the path of it. When you say yes.” ― Gayle Forman, Just One Day

Gayle was so lovely and even got emotional and teary eyed as I told her what Just One Day has given me. We high fived and hugged and she took a selfie of us together on her phone. In a few minutes I got to thank someone I’ve never met before who has had a massive impact on my life and being able to do that was so cathartic. Meeting Gayle Forman was more than another author event to me. It was a hugely important moment that I’ll cherish forever. It’s not every day that we get to thank the people who, without realising it, shaped our life in some way and I’m thankful that I got the opportunity.

Where I've Been and What I've Been Reading

Hello everyone,

So you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been posting these last couple of weeks, I had an unexpected blogging break. If you follow me on social media then you’ll know why but I felt like I owed an official explanation here on the blog for those who don’t.

For the past year my beloved dog Dylan battled a very unpredictable type of terminal cancer. I had him for a lot longer than I expected given his diagnosis and he had a very happy life until the middle of January when he started to take a turn for the worse. I had to have him put to sleep on my birthday. It was a really hard day but I couldn’t be selfish and keep him suffering for the sake of one day. I wasn’t on the blog for that last week when he was poorly because he needed me a lot and then I decided to take some time out to grieve after he died. This might seem silly to some people but I’m a massive animal lover and to not have a dog anymore felt unnatural. I got Dylan eight years ago during a time in my life when I was at my worst with my mental health and he gave me a reason to get out of bed on days when I’d otherwise give up. He was a big personality and truly my best friend and closest companion. He has left a big hole in my life.

So that’s why I’ve been away. I’m at a point where I’m ready to return to blogging now but I’m not going to force myself to post if I don’t feel like it and will be taking a more laid back approach for a little while.

While I’ve been away I’ve been reading some fantastic books. I’ve taken a break from review books and have been picking up some older releases. I devoured the first two Wells and Wong books Murder Most Unladylike and Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens and I can’t recommend them enough. They provided some much needed escapism! I also recently picked up The Bone Season ahead of an event in Birmingham with the author Samantha Shannon last week and really enjoyed it. It’s perfect for fans of Daughter of Smoke and Bone but at the same time it’s very unique and different. I had a great time meeting Samantha and even plucked up the courage to ask her some questions! I started reading the second book The Mime Order over the weekend and I’m enjoying it even more than book one!

I’ve got lots of reviews lined up to share with you soon and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to my review pile and getting back to blogging. I haven’t had the best start to 2015 but I’m looking ahead to spring.

I hope that all has been well with you and that you’ve been reading some fantastic books! Thanks again to everyone who sent me messages of support on Twitter and to everybody who has been so patient with me.

I’ll be seeing you soon,
Jess

Revisited: OCD, the Kindle and Me

Some of you may remember a post I did a little while ago called ‘OCD, The Kindle and Me’ where I talked about how my OCD affects the relationship I have with my Kindle and reading. I wanted to give you a bit of an update on this today and revisit the issue.

We’re currently in the process of decorating which is stressful at the best of times and for me a bit of a nightmare. A large part of my OCD is the need to have everything in its place and doing certain rituals and checking to prevent the high anxiety and worry that something bad will happen if these checks are not performed. A lot of the items I’d usually check have been put into storage meaning I can’t do my OCD reassurances.

The first few days I was a complete mess; hysterically crying and having several panic attacks. However over the last few days I haven’t felt so bad. It’s definitely gotten easier and it feels strangely liberating dealing with the panic head on and not burying it under false promises and unnecessary bargaining.

Another big change is that a lot of my books are now unavailable to me in storage. I actually can’t believe I’m about to type this but my Kindle has become my new best friend! I can’t keep rummaging through boxes of books looking for a specific title and so I’ve been reading more on my Kindle. I used to read one or two books a month on it if that but now the last four books I’ve read on the date that I’m writing this post have been on my Kindle. This is a huge deal for me as you’ll know if you’ve read my ‘OCD, The Kindle and Me’ post. I literally don’t know what I’d have done without my Kindle these past couple of weeks.

The stressful process of decorating has been a bit of a blessing in disguise forcing me to confront a few of my OCD related issues. I’ve definitely become more comfortable reading on my Kindle and only hope that I don’t revert back to my old ways once we’ve finished decorating. That’s not to say that I no longer love my physical books. I do still prefer them but now being able to read on my Kindle too is a welcome bonus. I’m so proud that I’ve reached my goals for project learning to love my Kindle. Although some may think overcoming an OCD related fear of Kindle reading is a bit strange and trivial it’s one step closer to overcoming all aspects of my OCD that have ultimately controlled my life for years and I couldn’t be happier!

OCD, the Kindle and Me

Lately I’ve noticed that more and more publishers are relying on websites like Netgalley to get early proof copies to book bloggers. Recently I’ve been receiving more emails with a direct link to download an e-galley than I have with offers of a physical proof to read and whilst I think this is fantastic for a lot of reasons I couldn’t help but wonder if this is the way publicity is going in the future and how bloggers who don’t own or dislike e-readers feel about this new digital approach.

Personally I like my Kindle Paperwhite but I LOVE my physical books and really can’t see that ever changing. I have so many exciting books on my Kindle right now but they often get neglected in favour of physical books. In fact I’ll often be excited about an early e-proof for all of a day and then decide that I’d actually much rather wait and buy a finished copy which some people might think is a little crazy when I’m given the chance to read these books sometimes months in advance which brings me nicely on to a realisation I made the other day.

After thinking about this topic a lot over the last few weeks I realised that a large part of why I prefer not to read on my Kindle is because of my OCD. Part of my condition means that I have to do things as thoroughly and correctly as possible and when I’m reading on my Kindle I don’t feel like I’m getting the full reading experience. This is kind of silly when I’m quite happy to read proof copies that are subject to change but try telling my OCD that. I don’t get it either.

So after a lot of thought I have decided to make this year Project Learning to Love My Kindle. At the moment I tend to read one Kindle book per month (if that) and I’d like to start trying to up that to two or three books a month. I’m tired of not reading the books I want to read because I have this irrational fear of not reading the book properly. There are lots of pros for me personally for reading more on my Kindle and it’ll also help tackle an aspect of my OCD which can only be a good thing. I’m not saying that I want to become a full on Kindle advocate but if I can get to a stage where I feel like I can happily read what I want to on my Kindle that would be great.

If you’re a blogger who doesn’t own or dislikes e-readers I’d love to know how you feel about the rise of websites like Netgalley? Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on the latest thing? If you’re a publisher is there a future for paper proof copies? Or are you a reader who hates missing out on exclusive e-book short stories from your favourite authors? If for whatever reason you’ve ever missed out on reading a book due to a dislike of e-readers I feel your pain.

All I Want For Christmas Is...Books!

The nights are drawing in, the jumpers are coming out, the Christmas adverts are on the telly and I'm starting to hear the same question over and over again "What do you want for Christmas?" So to help any friends or family looking for the perfect gift (and also for my inner child who gets nostalgic to write those letters to Santa!) I decided to create a bookish Christmas wishlist post! In no way do I expect to get all of these things for Christmas but I wanted to put some ideas out there so that I can direct anyone who asks to this list. I’d love to know if you have read and enjoyed any of these, maybe your comments could persuade someone to choose one book over the other? ;) Here's what I'm wishing for this Christmas...

Dear Santa's Helpers,

I'd really, really, really love any of the following for Christmas...

All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry

Legend Trilogy Boxed Set by Marie Lu

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Past Perfect by Leila Sales
Jasprit from The Readers Den has snatched up this one! Thank you lovely!

Premeditated by Josin L. McQuein

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil 

Any of the above will be received with much love and thanks! Or a good old Amazon Giftcard to go towards some of these beauties would be perfect! I've been very good this year.

Love, Jess x

My Bookish Birthday Wishlist!

So I’m hitting the big 23 next Wednesday so I thought it would be fun to share with you guys the books that I’m hoping to receive for my birthday. I probably won’t get all of these but I’m hoping for at least one or two of them and I also thought this list would be handy for all of those “what do you want for your birthday?” conversations I can just head all relatives on over here! :) I’d love to know if you guys have read and enjoyed any of these, maybe your comments could persuade someone to choose one book over the other who knows? So if you loved a book or are looking forward to it please say to give my relly’s a nudge in the right direction ;) Anyway here are the books I’m wishing for. It’s also worth noting that Shades of Earth, The Essence and The Archived were also originally on this list but my mum has already snatched them up and I might have received and read one already, ooops! Thanks mum!

Altered by Jennifer Rush 
Currently Available On: The Book Depository and Amazon
Synopsis 
"When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away"

Why I Want It- Four hot genetically altered to perfection boys? Yes please! Plus I've read several good reviews from blogger friends. This one is pretty high on my list!

The Valentine's Card by Juliet Ashton 
Currently Available On: The Book Depository and Amazon  (5 to 9 day dispatch)
Synopsis 
"The Valentine's card was meant to be Orla's fairy tale ending, but really, it was only the beginning . . .

Orla adores her actor boyfriend, Sim, who's away filming a sumptuous costume drama. Although the long-distance relationship means that she can eat toast for dinner and watch as much reality TV as she likes, she misses him like crazy.

But Valentine's Day changes everything . . . The same morning Orla learns that Sim has died, she receives a card from him. As Orla travels from Ireland to London, to live and breathe Sim's final moments, can she bring herself to open the Valentine's card and read his final message?"

Why I Want It- This sounds beautiful yet heartbreaking and I'd really love to have it for my Valentine's Day read.

Splintered by A. G. Howard 
Currently Available On: Amazon 9-12 day dispatch
Synopsis 
"Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family.

She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own."

Why I Want It- This sounds brilliant but I haven't seen it ANYWHERE it seems to be hard to get hold of which is odd seems as it came out on the 1st :S

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher 
Currently Available On: The Book Depository and Amazon 
Synopsis 
"Secrets, romance, murder and lies: Zoe shares a terrible secret in a letter to a stranger on death row in this second novel from the author of the bestselling debut, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece.

Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret—a dark and terrible secret that she can't confess to anyone she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal, Stuart Harris, locked up on death row in Texas. Like Zoe, Stuart is no stranger to secrets. Or lies. Or murder. 

Full of heartache yet humour, Zoe tells her story in the only way she can—in letters to the man in prison in America. Armed with a pen, Zoe takes a deep breath, eats a jam sandwich, and begins her tale of love and betrayal."

Why I Want It: Another one high on my list, I need to know what Zoe's terrible secret is. Nuff said.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken 
Currently Available On: The Book Depository and Amazon 
Synopsis 
"When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

 Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living."

Why I Want It: This sounds epic! I've also heard countless times how good Alexandra Bracken's books are.

Those are the books! There’s not really much else I want for my birthday but books are always welcome or Amazon Gift Cards because there are so many February releases I’m craving that I could use them for pre-orders. I’ll of course be doing some kind of haul so you guys can see if I get any of these and remember to shout out your favourites to my relatives in the comments, that should get their attention! ;)

Illness Update

I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be ill for this amount of time. I’m coming up to two months now and I can’t tell you how much I wish I just felt normal! I had an excellent time on holiday and was starting to feel much better and so it was time to come off my pain medication and BAM! Medication withdrawal kicks in. Apparently this is perfectly normal and can last for a week or two and consists of splitting headaches, nausea and vomiting and other pleasantries. After having such a lovely holiday and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel only to then have it cruelly snatched away is just exasperating. And I’m really hoping it is just withdrawal from my meds and not another illness on top of everything else.

It’s got to the point where I’ve become really teary and depressed because I literally can’t do anything. Yesterday I slept the day away with 15 hours sleep, the blog is so behind, I have so much to catch up on and I’ve only read one book so far this month. I’m so bored and fed up of not being able to do anything remotely fun or productive that I can’t tell you how badly I just wish things where back to normal. I sat down today hoping to get the blog back up to speed and this headache is just not letting it happen, so it’s back to bed again for me as per usual.

I really want to thank you guys for hanging in there with me through this horrible time and for the lovely messages I’ve had. How understanding and patient you guys are being makes me feel like the luckiest blogger in the world and I really hope I feel better soon and can get back to blogging because you have no idea how much I’ve missed it!

Hopefully this is just a withdrawal thing and I’ll be back with you guys in a week or so, and I hope you’re getting in a lot more reading than I am!

Thank you for being so patient and wonderful,

Jess x

Review for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter

On Friday 6th April 2012, only 6 days after opening day, I was one of the first people to go to The Warner Bros Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter. For those of you outside the UK or for anyone who simply doesn’t know Warner Bros have opened the studio’s that they filmed the Harry Potter films in to the public for the first time. The tour itself consists of the actual sets, props, costumes etc. that were used in the films, along with behind the scene’s secrets being revealed for the very first time on how the films were made, a chance for you to try Butterbeer, Chocolate Frogs and numerous other Wizard sweets and treats, go crazy in the gift shop that sells legit Harry Potter merchandise and even take a ride on a broom and/or the Weasley’s car! Me, my friend Rachel and her sister Beth booked our tickets wayyy back before Christmas in 2011 so needless to say this is something we’d been excited about for a very long time! I had a fantastic time and thought I’d share my experience and a little bit about what you can expect and generally just talk about if it’s worth a visit and the price to give you an honest opinion if you’re thinking about going.

outside the studio

Firstly the studio itself is just outside London in Watford. At first we got a little bit lost as there are no signs for the tour until you’re literally only a few minutes away. However we called the tours customer service for help and they were brilliant in giving us directions from where we were (turns out ten minutes away, typical huh? Fun Fact: Whilst waiting they spew you with random Harry Potter trivia, nice one!) Anyway we soon found the place and in the end it wasn’t hard what with the HUGE Harry Potter posters on the outside and all. Then we did all the boring stuff like collecting our tickets and that really impressed me there wasn’t a long queue at all and they seemed to move everything along really quickly which was a bonus. A word of warning you have to have booked your tickets in advance they don’t sell tickets at the studio and you actually won’t be allowed into the car park unless you have your booking confirmation. A standard adult ticket is £28 or for diehard fans like myself you can pay an extra £10 more for a souvenir guidebook and a digital guide which is basically a mini tablet and headphone set that you can listen to as you go around the tour that gives you extra info, this isn’t something you get to keep though so bare that in mind. I went for the Guidebook/Digital Guide ticket and to be honest if I was to go again I probably wouldn’t bother. As a total fan girl I was running around like a loon and couldn’t really be bothered with listening to the extra’s so that was a bit of a waste of money and you can always buy the Guidebook there which again is alright but basically shows you everything you see on the tour with nothing new to offer and is a keep sake more than anything.

When you go into the building you have an allotted time as to when your tour will begin. What I really loved though was instead of waiting in one long queue for ages you could stop in the café to get a bite to eat or visit the gift shop until it’s your turn. And then when you do queue up for your slot it doesn’t take long at all I think we were waiting for around 15 minutes if that and there are plenty of props and pictures around to get the tour going already.

waiting to go in!

The tour itself begins with a screening in a cinema talking a little bit about the making of Harry Potter and then includes a message from Dan (Harry Potter) Rupert (Ron Weasley) and Emma (Hermione Granger) basically introducing the tour and saying this is their second home, the place that they grew up, which I thought was a really nice touch and really amps up the excitement in the room to bursting point. Brilliantly, when the clip finishes, the screen lifts up to reveal the door to the famous Great Hall. The tour guide gives a true to story “Welcome to Hogwarts!” and then the doors open and you step into the Great Hall itself.

door to the Great Hall

The Great Hall was a highlight of the tour for me and a brilliant way to kick things off. You don’t have a tour guide for the whole of the tour just this first section as he tells you a little bit about what you can expect from your visit and the general rules. Fun Fact: Our tour guide was asking some little kids at the front the names of the Hogwarts houses, they seemed like the shy kind and they weren’t really biting so I holla out from the back “Ravenclaw!!” (my favourite house) and had the embarrassing moment where everyone turned to look at me and the tour guide looked kind of bewildered, what can I say? I was excited! A similar situation also happened when he asked what everyone’s favourite moment in the Great Hall was, again tough crowd, although I do think someone mentioned the Yule Ball so I belted out from the back again “When Mcgonagall duelled off with Snape!” yeah…

inside the Great Hall

Anyway I’m not going to tell you about every single part of the tour because we’d be here forever. The tour takes around 3 hours to look around in general and heck I’m 900 and something words in and I’ve only reached the beginning! I will however tell you about the parts that stood out to me.

The Great Hall

The rest of the tour is self-guided a nice touch as there’s nothing worse than being ushered along by a tour guide. Heck I would probably grab hold of the nearest prop and refuse to be moved until I was finished looking (who am I kidding? I would have refused to move at all and would hide out and live there if I could! “This isn’t a concrete block this is HOGWARTS!” Yes I was THAT girl the one that the people who work there really earned their money with that day.) The whole tour was fantastic but here are some of my highlights in no particular order.

where it all began...

The outdoor section was AMAZING! Privet Drive, Godric's Hollow, The Hogwarts Bridge, The Knight Bus, Hagrid’s Motorbike, The Weasley’s car, The Riddle Grave, the huge Chess pieces and Butterbeer all at the same time?! Yes please! My other favourite part was walking down Diagon Alley which is an actual street! The Great Hall, Diagon Alley and the outdoor area are defiantly the parts that make you feel most like your actually in the Harry Potter Universe and I loved that feeling more than anything else.

Knight Bus

Diagon Alley

Props and set wise my favourite pieces were the Yule Ball ice sculpture which was just absolutely stunning in real life.

so pretty! Yule Ball ice sculpture 

Neville’s cardigan, that his gran knit him, that he challenged Lord Voldemort in, do I need to say anything else about THAT Cardigan!?

THE CARDIGAN!!!

The Invisibility Cloak actually has a lot of detail to it and is designed beautifully which you don’t get to see in the films, what with it, you know, being invisible most of the time.

Cloak of invisibility 

so awesome! Tom Riddle's Diary

Dumbledore’s office was an incredible set and again made me feel like I was actually in Hogwarts. As did Snapes potion room which was suitably creepy and dark. I loved seeing some of
the smaller props like the Horcruxes, The Philosophers Stone, Neville’s remembrall, the golden snitch etc. And I found a nice touch was that some of the sets had things that were moving on their own just like magic! The Burrow had to be my favourite for that with Mrs Weasley’s washing up and knitting going by themselves! There were so many impressive props but the thing that actually made me gasp out loud was the Hogwarts Castle model something you don’t get to see until right at the very end of the tour. It’s huge and beautiful, and you can just see how much work and love and care went into it. It absolutely just took my breath away; in a word it was magnificent. And I loved how the lighting changed from night, to dawn, to day, to dusk so you could see Hogwarts in all its glory. It was just so impressive and definitely one of the biggest highlights of the trip.

just a small part of Hogwarts model

After finishing the tour the last section ideally leads out straight into the gift shop where you can buy SO MANY THINGS!!! And if you’re a crazed fan girl like me can actually end up spending a fortune! You can buy anything from the Harry Potter sweets, to Wands – literally any character you can think of they have their wands available to buy, to the books and DVD’s, to cuddly toy Headwigs and Buckbeaks and Unicorns, to outfits and costumes, to mugs and keyrings and stationary there is everything you could think of. I spent just over £70 on The Marauder's Map, a The Marauder's Map mug which says “I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good” on it which I love, a Time Turner Keyring, A Chocolate Frog, and a Pink Pygmy Puff cuddly toy. But I could of easily spent so much more if I didn’t stop myself I really wanted the Elder Wand but alas I already have Hermione’s wand which Rachel brought me back from The Harry Potter resort in Florida so I called it a day right there. I’d say the things are fairly priced considering, I mean of course they’re overpriced, but at places like this what isn’t? Basically I think they could have charged a lot more if they wanted and Rachel and Beth told me that some things were actually cheaper over here than the resort in Orlando so considering I didn’t think it was too bad personally, as an ultimate fan girl, but parents of children wanting a chocolate frog for £7 each might disagree! What I like about the tour though is that you can pay a standard ticket price which for an adult at £28 I think is really good and you can build on your experience from there, parking is free, you can bring your own food and drink, so if I wanted I could have spent £28 on a ticket and came away happy after a wonderful day, how much you spend on top of that is entirely up to you.

stuff of dreams!

Dobby!

My only regret about the trip is that I didn’t get to have a go at flying on a broom. When queuing you can expect to wait an hour and at the time of day we went we just didn’t have that spare time to wait before the studio closed. I think a lot of people who visit at a later time will have that problem as the flying is right in the middle of the studio you can’t really judge how much time you’ll have left to look at everything else. I personally think it would have been better to place the flying separately like the gift shop as something to do either whilst you’re waiting if you get there early or something to do after, that way you’re not worrying about time or what else you have left to see. Despite the hours wait though it did look fun you get a good few minutes riding over London and Hogwarts in a cape and can of course buy pictures at the end. It was really fun to see that adults were just as eager to have a go at flying as the kids!

never realised Helena is so tiny!

So that was pretty much my experience visiting the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter and already I want to go again! If you’ve made it to the end of this mammoth review I salute you! I wanted to try and edit it down but there was just so much that I wanted to talk about and I hope you found it helpful. For more information about the tour you can visit their website here. Please note that I am not in any way affiliated with the tour and this review is simply an honest opinion from a huge fan of everything Harry Potter.If you’ve been to visit the tour let me know what you thought and if you’re planning on going I hope you have as much fun as I did!

P.S This!

me (left) and Rachel (right)

and this!

I SAT WHERE RON WEASLEY SAT A MERE FEW DAYS BEFORE!!!!!!!!!!!!! *cough* that is all.