Sunday treats (2)

Sunday treats is my brand new meme hosted here by me!

Each week I will be treating you to a hunky treat to drool over because after a week of hard work you deserve it!

To keep it loosely book related I'll post pictures of actors that have played roles in films or TV programmes made from books, unless a guys just so damn hot I have to post him anyway!

If you wanna join in then just post your own hot guy and come and link back so I can come and drool look.

I promise no boys were hurt in the making of this post.

And here's this week’s guy.

Ed Westwick

Ed Westwick is probably best known for playing Chuck Bass in Gossip girl, which there is books of but I think it was a TV show first lol And next year you'll be able to catch him as Tybalt in the latest adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.

Showcase Saturday (2)

'Showcase Sunday' is hosted by Vicky at Books, biscuits and tea.

As you can see I've altered the name because I post on Saturdays.

7th May - 13th May

Books mentioned

Bought

Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

The way we fall by Megan Crewe

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

The last princess by Galaxy Craze

Belles by Jen Calonita

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

He's after me by Chris Higgins

Black dawn by Rachel Caine

Don't judge a girl by her cover by Ally Carter

RAK

The alchemy of forever by Avery Williams

Won

After the snow by S.D. Crockett

For review

The fury by Alexander Gordon Smith

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

What books did you get this week?

Same difference (28)

Early summer nights by Marc J. Riley and

Night marchers by Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckles

Night marchers book one.

These are so similar but I prefer the cover for night marchers because I like the brighter colours on the butterfly and the smaller font so you can see more of the pictures.

Which do you prefer?

What I read in... (2)

'What I read in...' is my monthly feature where I share the books I have read the previous month.

Books mentioned

Need and Captivate by Carrie Jones

Between the sea and the sky by Jocelyn Dolamore

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

The immortal rules by Julie Kagawa

Harry Potter and the Philosphers stone by J.K. Rowling

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

The other life by Suzanne Winnacker

Wither and Fever by Lauren DeStefano

The pearl wars by Nick James

Stolen by Jinx Jamison

What did you read in April

On my Kindle (2)

On my Kindle is hosted by Siobhan at Totally bookalicious

3rd May - 9th May

Kindle freebie

Sweetest mistress by Skye Warren

Bought

'Til death do us part by Dianna Hardy

What books did you get on your ereader this week?

UK vs THE WORLD (23)

UK vs. The world is a weekly meme I made up lol.

It's simlair to UK vs. US except the UK covers are battling it out with their foreign counterparts from all over the world, because who doesn't love judging books by their covers!

UK                         vs.                   Canada

13 by Kelley Armstrong

Women of the Otherworld book thirteen.

Mist: The Candian cover is kind of creepy feel to it but I love the colours of the UK cover and the way the water (Blood?) is splashing, it's much more interesting so I pick UK.

Ninfa: Oh I just love the UK cover! It's so different and vivid with the splash of red! The Canadian cover is also nice, with the white background and the shadow struggling to get through, and the title in red, but the UK cover just draws me in. UK wins (and I can't wait for this book to be released!!!).

UK                        vs.                   Spain

Need by Carrie Jones
Need pixies book one.
('Instintos Cruéis' translates to 'Cruel instincts.')

Mist: I think it's another UK win for me, I just love the gold lips and the bare trees on her neck, the colours and font of the Spanish cover are nice but nothing special.

Ninfa: Another beautiful UK cover. I love it, with the golden lips mimicking the title, it's just haunting and mysterious. I like the Spanish title (Cruel Instincts is the translation of it), but I'm not keen on the model if I am honest. I think the UK version is more intriguing and it's definitely one I'd pick up myself if I saw it at a book shop. UK wins again :)

Which do you prefer?

Try it Tuesday (9)

'Try it Tuesday' is a weekly meme hosted here at Bookaholics where each week me and Ninfa take turns to recommend a book we think you should try and why.

This week’s pick is

The lightening thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and The Olypians book one.

Percy Jackson just discovered he is the half-mortal son of Poseidon, and he's wanted dead. Fighting to discover his true purpose in life, and to stay alive, Percy meets many obstacles, but also gains some friends. It all ends in a one-on-one match with Hades, god of the Underworld. Will Percy live to tell about it?

Why I’m choosing this book
As much as I love Harry Potter, after the fifth time reading it I wanted to find a similar series to get stuck into, so with the movie about to be released at the time I decided to try Percy Jackson and optimistically bought all five books in the series. I was so glad that I did because I really enjoyed them and the read the series back to back. The only way it's like Harry Potter is that it's aimed at the same age group and it follows a young boy.
It sparked a love of mythology in me that had me hitting the library for books about Greek mythology and eating up all the wonderful stories which eventually led me to reading The Odysey by Homer which I loved! I'm yet to read The Iliad but I will.

Five reasons I love this book
1. The use and wealth of Greek mythology is all woven together brilliantly.
2. Great humour that can keep adults giggling as well as younger readers.
3. Wonderful characters including a strong lead that young boys can look up to.
4. A wonderful, imaginative world.
5. It's full of action from start to finish.

Who I think will love this book
Definitely one for fans of Harry Potter and, though I haven't read them, I think fans of the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz and H.I.V.E by Mark Walden would enjoy it. Though it's aimed at young boys I think people of all ages and genders would like it, and the rest of the series of course :p

I hope this inspires you to pick up the book, and if you do

Let me know what you think!

Faery tales and nightmares - Review

Faery tales and nightmares by Melissa Marr
Available now.
www.harpercollins.co.uk

What's it about?
An enthralling collection of short stories featuring favourite characters from Melissa Marr’s bestselling WICKED LOVELY series.

Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments, dark and light, by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from under the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention – with amorous or sinister intent – relentlessly. From the gentle tones of a storyteller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favourite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with . . . or to fear. Lush, seductive, and chilling, Melissa Marr’s stories revel in the unseen magic that infuses the world as we know it.

My review

You already know I'm not one for anthologies and short stories but I wanted to give this one a go because all the stories are written by one author who also just happens to be on my favourite list of authors so I could hardly say no could I?
Not only did I enjoy it but it's actually the first anthology I've made it to the end of! I love Marr's beautiful writing and ate up the Wicked Lovely series as each book came out and this is a must for fans of that series.
 If you haven't read Marr's previous works I'd recommend it before reading this book as half the stories are told from the world and characters of the Wicked lovely series and whilst they could be enjoyed without reading it you might feel like you're missing something and some are set after or quite late into the series which means massive spoilers if you're planning to read the series after.
Though I'd peviously bought Love struck, Stopping time and Old habits on my Kindle for some reason I hadn't got to reading them yet, even though two out of three include my ultimate book crush ever, Niall *sigh* So it's nice now to have the three together in one paperback.
There are a total of eleven stories ranging from three pages to ninety four in length and whilst I would admit I've read more exciting short stories I did enjoy them all, the amazing writing I loved from her previous series is present throughout and paints a wonderful picture with each story, short and long.
I don't have a clear favourite, though stopping time is certainly a front runner as it involves Niall a lot!
The shorter stories, however, feel more like ideas for something bigger or simple daydreams but even so they are uniquely imaginative and leave me with curiosity for more.
And there are so many themes packed into this lovely bundle, I loved the darkness of Transistion, the whimsical feel of Flesh for comfort and of course revisting characters I already know in Old habits, stopping time, Cotton candy skies, unexpected family and Merely mortal.

My thoughts on the cover
I really like this cover and think it portrays the book wonderfully, the puffy white skirt give you the feel of Faery tales but the darkness surrounding it and the stark trees give the idea of the dark tone that comes with most stories.

Favourite quotes

'She imagined that his breath was warm because he'd drained the life out of someone, because he'd just come from taking the final drops of life out of some horrible person.' - From Transistion.

'And Irial smiled at her, as beautiful and deadly as he'd always been. King or not, he was still a force to fear.' - From Old habits

Find the author
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Discussion - Erotica

Do you remember that episode of Friends, when Joey finds Rachel's erotic novel and when she embarrassingly try's to explain he declares, 'You've got porn!'
Do you think if that episode was made today it would be different? Because I can't help noticing lately how open we've become about what we're reading, especially with 'Fifty shades of grey' by E.L. James hitting the shelves recently, not to mention topping best seller lists all over the place.
Is it becoming more socially acceptable to discuss the books you'd normally read behind closed doors?
I admit that until recently my solitary 'dirty book,' which was bought hidden amongst packs of gum and magazines, was tucked out of sight behind my bookshelf. But now my copy of 'fifty' sits proudly on the shelf and I'm happy to share the erotic novels and stories I'm buying or grabbing for free from amazon in 'On my Kindle' posts and on goodreads.
So when did my attitude change? Honestly, I'm not sure, but as other people have become more open I've found I'm happy to be just as honest as they are.
And with new blogs and websites solely dedicated to discussing erotica popping up and more adult authors joining social networks to promote their work it's getting much easier to find outlets to talk about these books and no one is embarrassed to state their preferences. In fact, Entangled publishing, even have blog tours for their new adult releases and more ya authors are turning their hand to writing more adult themed books and short stories. And they have much prettier covers than the semi-nudey covers that are usually associated with Erotica.
These books aren't just 'Dirty books' either - well ok, some are! - they have stories to them, they have just as much character development and world building as other books and there's such a wealth of choice that it's easy for anyone interested in trying the genre to find something to their preference.
Sure, there are full on 'Hardcore' books that are full of sex and little story but there are also softer books more focused on the story that just happen to have sex in them and ones that are set at a happy medium, and there are books written for every sexual preference/fantasy there is.
My personal tastes extend to BDSM (Bondage&Dominance, Dominance&Submission, Sadism&Masochism) and girl on girl. (Thats right, I said it!)
But all this leads me to ask why do we read erotic literature?
Is it just something to giggle over a glass of wine with the girls? Does it help make the story? Do we feel closer to our characters when we see them get down and dirty? Or is it a way to explore fantasies we wouldn't think to act on in the real world? A way to get something different and exciting without actually doing it?
Yeah, I enjoy reading girl on girl but I don't plan to pursue an encounter with another female, or to let a man have his wicked way with me whilst I'm blindfolded (well, maybe!) it's purely the realm of fantasy for me when I read these books, why would I want to read something with plain old boring straight missionary sex when I can get that whenever I like? Sure, in a romance novel I don't mind because it's part of the story but when I'm looking for something racier I want it to be unexpected, heated and down right dirty!
And if you're wondering about the book I kept hidden behind the bookshelf, it was Dark surrender by Kim Knight.

What's your take on the genre? Do you read erotic novels? What are your preferences?

If you're shy, you can comment as anonymous :)

Whilst all opinions are welcome, hateful, non-constructive comments will simply be deleted.

Sunday treats (1)

Sunday treats is my brand new meme hosted here by me!

Each week I will be treating you to a hunky treat to drool over because after a week of hard work you deserve it!

To keep it loosely book related I'll post pictures of actors that have played roles in films or TV programmes made from books, unless a guys just so damn hot I have to post him anyway!

If you wanna join in then just post your own hot guy and come and link back so I can come and drool look.

And here's this weeks guy.

If you don't know already, this is Channing Tatum he played John in the movie version of Dear John by Nicholas Sparks and was more recently in the film adaptation of The vow by Kim Carpenter and Krickitt Carpenter.