My Top 10 Books I Want To Read, But Never Quite Got Round To!

Rather than the next ten books I am going to read, this post is about some classic titles and more contemporary supernatural fiction that I have heard a lot about, but has never made it to the top of my reading pile.

They do vary quite a lot, but are all on the list because they have been recommended to me at school, in college or from friends on and offline.

Listen what I have to say about them here:

1. Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
2. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien [reading now!]
3. 1984 by George Orwell
   
4. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
   
5.  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
   
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [free to download on Kindle]
   
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (3 book series) [also available for single book download here]
   [First book read]
   
8. Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith (10 book series) [also available for single book download here]
   
9.  House of the Night Series (first six) by L.C.Cast & Kristian Cast (10 book series) [also available for single book download here]
   
10. The Host by Stephanie Meyer [read]

Please comment below and let me know what you have heard a lot about and is on your reading list.

Is there something I need to add to my reading list? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading & watching,

Love Rie x

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong Review

This collection of short stories from 14 female supernatural authors has rekindled my love of short stories. Since reading the Kindle All Stars: Resistance Front collection I have gone back to novellas and full length novels and forgotten the magic of reading anthologies such as these.

This one is dedicated to "Smart Chicks everywhere" and defiantly appeals to the young adult (YA) female reader, but no reader will feel alienated by this smart collection of stories that give bite size introductions to necromancers, vampires, were wolves, mind readers, clairvoyants and much more.

Summary courtesy of Amazon:  A collection of fourteen original teen paranormal short stories from some of today’s best selling YA talent, united with the common theme of road trips, and edited by best selling authors Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong.

The theme of road trips I feel is applies lightly to this collection, a theme which I had forgotten until I re-read the introduction of the book before writing this review. Despite this a collection needs a theme and this does work well in a few of the stories. 

Stand out favourites include "Gargouille" by Mary E. Pearson, a supernatural themed love story that is beautifully written, and "Bridge" by Keri Smith-Ready a ghost themed poem that I really enjoyed, and don't be put off as its a poem as it was a great read!

The contributions by the authors where also a real treat. Melissa Marr's "Merely Mortal" appealed to my other interest of business and PR & marketing (which is by no means the main focus of the story but something that stood out for me), and Kelley Armstrong's "Facing Facts" which links in at the end of the latest Darkest Powers book with a really interesting twist that I loved.

Overall this is a great collection that I have enjoyed curling up in bed early every night to read. It has introduced me to some young adult authors that I can't wait to read more from. 

4/5

Thanks for reading,

Love Rie x

Hidden by Kelley Armstrong Review

I will repeat the sentiment which is given on Kelley Armstrong's website with every book description, that it is difficult if not impossible to talk about a book series without giving plot lines away for the previous books.

I like each book to be a surprise when I read it, and aim never to give anything away in my reviews which would change how people approach a book. So because of this I will keep this short and sweet.

Released on 31st December 2011 this book instantly became my favourite book of 2011. Read in just three hours this novella is perfectly formed and easy to read. Focussing on Clay and Elena's Christmas break it is a perfect edition to the Women of the Otherworld series.

No quibbles - 5/5

You can get your hands on this as a limited edition signed leather bound copy (1000 printed) or a cloth bound hard cover (5000 printed) yet these are currently being sold upwards of £70 second hand! Or you could simply download on your Kindle which is currently only £3.96 on Amazon!

Thank for reading,

Love Rie x

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - Review

Hi all.

As the title suggests, this is a review for The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong. I have been wanting to read the Darkest Powers trilogy for a while now, and after downloading the first chapter onto my Kindle and giving it a quick read, I made the investment to my sanity by downloading all three at once. I know how difficult it can be to wait for new books to be released in a series so I thought I would just bite the bullet and buy them all, and I am so glad I did!

(I have done something a bit different here, by including a summary of the book so you can know what I am talking about. Let me know if you like this, or if I should stick to just my review.)

Summary courtesy of Amazon:

"The first book in the Darkest Powers trilogy - a brand new series by bestselling author Kelley Armstrong. All Chloe Saunders wants is a life like any normal teenager - the chance to get through school, make friends, and maybe meet a boy. But when she starts seeing ghosts, she knows that life will never be normal again. Soon ghosts are everywhere, demanding her attention. When Chloe finally breaks down, she's admitted to a group home for disturbed kids. At first Lyle House seems okay, but as she gets to know the other patients - charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek; obnoxious Tori; and Rae, who has a 'thing' for fire - Chloe begins to realise that something strange and sinister binds them all together, and it isn't your usual 'problem kid' behaviour. And they're about to discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home, either ..."

So what did I think of it?: It was good!

With a much younger protagonist than the books of the Women of the Otherworld series, I had my reservations if I would enjoy it as much. But they were defiantly not founded. Armstrong has a talent for creating well rounded characters, and this was no exception. It encapsulates a confused teenage mind in such a well articulated way it was a pleasure to read. 


At times I did find myself guessing what made each character unique within the book, and 99% of the time my guesses were correct. Without giving too much away, Armstrong is a fantasy writer and she doesn't fail to provide that familiar supernatural flair.

This book really does get better towards the middle, the first half can be a little tedious with Chloe, the protagonist, explaining her predicament and her surroundings. Yet as I always, after a few too many late nights thanks to not being able to prise my Kindle from my hands, the book came to a gob-smacking conclusion. 


I want to be able to say I saw it coming, and it was predictable, but to be honest it was a really nice surprise ending. 

I am gagging to get reading the next book, The Awakening but with other reading commitments and a mountain of university work I am saving it for a treat. But one I will be tempted to start everyday!

4.5/5

Thanks for reading,

Rie xx

Dead Reckoning - Review

As promised here is my review for Dead Reckoning – the latest’s book in the Sookie Stackhouse series (more formerly known as True Blood) by Charlaine Harris. Those of you that have been reading this blog over the last couple of weeks know that I was greatly anticipating the release of this book after reading the rest of the books in quick succession late last year.

**I have tried to include no spoilers, however I may have given hints to events happening in the book when talking about characters emotions and my predictions of their future.**

Sookie’s life is getting increasingly difficult in this instalment, leaving her to reflect on life before she discovered the supernatural world. Despite danger from all around she has time to indulge in human activities such as baby showers and repetitive cleaning of her house. I jumped into mundane areas of other books (such as my childhood favourite Harry Potter, with chapters such as being in Ron house and creating Dumbledore’s Army being some of my most read), but here they seemed like spacers for the limited new revelations in this book.

Sookie and Eric
(I believe in the televised version of Dead to the World)

Long gone are the assumptions that Sookie is a naive young woman in the bedroom. A blend of romance, attraction and sex is present as always, with suitors jumping into her bed or queuing at the doors when they learn of Sookie and Eric’s problems. The love I built for Eric in Dead to the World seems to be slowly crumbling with revelations in the political aspects of their relationship, as well as a development in their blood bond causing fissures. 

I believe that in the next book we may even see Sookie looking elsewhere from comfort, in the form of another supernatural lover.

I wonder if becoming a vampire has changed the
way he performs?

We also learn a little more about Sookie’s powers; however I was disappointed as they felt mere reinforcements of information we knew already. Other than the dramatic climax of Bubba’s concert to the vamps, there is very little action or new information given to us about how the series is going to be concluded. Don’t get me wrong, I am a great lover of the 10 book series so far, but soon enough Harris will run out of things to say and this needs to come to a conclusion.

After greatly anticipating this book as a development I was disappointed with the presentation of muted revaluations of information we already knew. I feel a lot more could have been done with this book to make it more interesting and exciting (I’m still up for Sookie being sucked into the Fairy world for a book!).


3/5

Please let me know if you have read this book, and what you think. Do you watch True Blood of television? Let me know what you think. Comment up people and get involved.

Thank you for reading,

Love Rie xx