House at the end of the street - Review

House at the end of the street by Lily Blake

Available now

www.atombooks.net 

What's it about?

Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah and her daughter Elissa find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret. Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds, and disappeared - leaving only a brother, Ryan, as the sole survivor. Against Sarah's wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan - and the closer they get, the deeper they're all pulled into a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined.

My review

I've never seen the movie so I thought I'd pick this up to see what its all about and I knew I wouldn't spend the whole time comparing the two either.
House at the end of the street was a quick, enjoyable read but you could tell that it was a book of a movie, mostly because of how short it is, while there is some good character development, there isn't much in the development of the relationship with Sarah and Ryan, the pacing is all different to a regular book.
But the story is interesting and creepy and I did enjoy it so I'd recommend if your looking for something quick to read.
It was written really well and easy to follow, I enjoyed Sarah as a main character, she was tough and she had a brain of her on, she didn't just go with the crowd.
The end was surprising and a real page turner and now that I've read the book, I'd love to see the movie to see if it all looks the same as in my head.

My thoughts on the cover
Of course the cover is the movie poster, that's why it has Jennifer Lawrence on it lol But I do like it, it has a creepy feel to it and I like the way she's kind of hidden behind the door.

Favourite quotes

'Elissa glanced back at the car, taking the guy's flannel shirt, the stack of books in the passenger seat, and the golden stubble on his chin, as if he hadn't shaved in two days. He looked so...normal. "You're Ryan Jacobson?" she asked.'

'He turned to her, resting his fingers gently on her chin. They were so cold they startled her. He tilted her head to one side, moving it just a fraction of an inch. She relaxed into it, enjoying how close he was to her, how gently he held her face.'

Find the author
Goodreads

Nail your books (1)

'Nail your books' is something that Cristina at The princess of storyland started where she shows off her book inspired nails.

I spotted the feature over at Books, biscuits and tea last week and thought I'd give it a go myself, I probably won't post every week, more when the inspiration strikes me lol.

So, today's nails were inspired by the UK covers for the Morganville vampires series by Rachel Caine, particularly Bitter blood, the newest arrival which I just finished reading last night and it was awesome.

Here's the cover;

And here's my nails;

(Click on it to see it bigger.)

How to

• Sally Hansen miracle cure strengthener base coat
• Rimmel 60 seconds Rapid ruby
• Rimmel 60 seconds Black out
• Rimmel Lycra pro Posh trash
• Sally Hansen Insta-dri top coat
• Toothpick

-First I started off by applying a couple of coats of base coat, you got to have base! I used Sally Hansen miracle cure strengthener as I have quite weak nails.

-Next I did a red and black gradient, it's much easier for me to point you to this tutorial than try to explain myself how to do it!

-Once that had dried, I used a toothpick to draw the pattern.

-Then I used an insta-dri top coat which really does dry your nails super quick!

This was the first time I'd tried drawing with a toothpick and my second attempt at doing a gradient so its a bit messy but I'm still really pleased with how it came out, I do have my eye on some nail pens and brushes that I'm hoping to buy in a week or two.
Originally I did want to do more a blood spattered effect but I don't know how to that lol.
What do you think?
And if you give it a go come and let me know.

Tough girl - review

Tough girl by Libby Heily

Available 14th January 2013 

What's it about?

Danger lurks everywhere in eleven year old Reggie's world—from the bully next door to the unwanted attentions of a creep at school. Raised by her mentally ill mother, Reggie is left to fend for herself in a rough neighborhood. She escapes in daydreams, battling aliens with her alter ego, Tough Girl.

When Reggie's mother disappears, her fantasy life spirals out of control and starts to invade reality. She is hunted by a creature of her own design, and even Tough Girl is not strong enough to stop him.

Will Reggie survive long enough for her mother to return, or will her dream world take over?

This book contains adult themes and adult language.

My review

Tough girl was a lot darker YA book than I'd been expecting going in but it was a great read, I actually liked the gritty side to it, it gave the book a feeling of realism to the story.
As Reggie starts to get lost in her own world the lines of reality and fantasy start to blur together and it's not always easy to tell as the reader which is which as you get lost in Reggie's world alongside her.
It was hard to see the tough life she has and the rough neighbourhood she lives in and I could understand why she prefers to live in a dream world, though to be honest I don't think she even realises half the time that she is.
I did have a problem with the ending though, it felt a little sudden and that Reggie doesn't receive the help mentally that she would after the kind of break down she goes through.
But, other than that, Tough girl was spot on, it was written really well and the author has a good grasp on both the gritty world Reggie lives in and the fantasy world full of aliens and other planets she imagines.
There was a good balance of both and some great twists at the end.
This is not one to be missed.

My thoughts on the cover
After reading the book I realise this cover is perfect, its dark and it features Reggie alone and curled up, just as I'd imagine her, and I also like that she has Tough girls blue hair.

Favourite quotes

'She had one last thing she needed to take care of before she rejoined the Ruizes. She had to check on TG. Reggie closed her eyes.'

'"Tough girl. It's not a name, it's a warning."'

Find the author
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads

UK vs THE WORLD (48)

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.                   France

Entangled by Cat Clarke

(Called Confusion in France.)

Mist: I love the red and the pattern of the UK cover and the French cover is really pretty so it's hard to say which I like best. I really like the pink dress but I like the closer view we get of the girls face on the UK cover, this week for me is a tie!

Ninfa: I really love the UK cover. The red hair and nails set off the creamy colours very nicely, and it's just really lovely and eye catching. Very simple but beautiful. The French cover is nice but it doesn't stand out the same way. UK wins :)

Which do you prefer?

Return of the hungry hamster - Review

Return of the hungry hamster by Sam HayUndead pets book one
stripespublishing.co.uk 

What's it about?When Joe Edmunds makes a wish on an Egyptian amulet, little does he know that he has volunteered to guide and defend the undead pet inhabitants of his town! Dumpling the hamster came to a dusty end inside a vacuum cleaner ...but he suspects that his owner Oliver's parents never admitted to their son that they were to blame for Dumpling's demise. Now the hamster needs Joe's help to reveal the truth - but there's a furry surprise awaiting them at Oliver's house...

My review

You can probably tell that this book is aimed at a much younger audience than me but as an adult I did enjoy it as a short, guilty pleasure read.
Return of the hungry hamster was a fun read, and is actually a story unlike anything I've come across before.
It was written well, with humour I think the age group it's aimed at will find hilarious and the black and grey pictures throughout make it a perfect transition book, from picture books in to books for younger readers.
It's also not too long so it will hold an eight year olds attention and has a great, if sometimes unwilling, clever boy hero.
I'll definitely be saving this one for when my son is old enough and collecting the rest of the series.

My thoughts on the cover
I think this cover is perfect, it has the zombie hamster that somehow looks funny instead of creepy and the graveyard scene is fun too, I particularly like the cat and bunny skulls lol

Favourite quote

'"Now wait a minute," said Joe, suddenly feeling a bit cross. Wishing for a pet was one thing, but helping zombie hamsters with their "unresolved issues" was another matter altogether!'

What I read in... November

November was a pretty good month for me, I managed to get through ten books and I not only reached but surpassed my goal of reading 120 books this year, hooray! Has anyone else hit their goal yet?

Books mentioned

(Links to my reviews or Goodreads if I haven't written one yet.)

Beautiful redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Zombies don't cry by Rusty Fischer

The kiss off by Sarah Billington - Review up in a couple of weeks as part of the blog tour

The fallen legacies by Pittacus Lore

The game changer by Marie Landry

The declaration by Gemma Malley

Reached by Ally Condi

Tough girl by Libby Heily

Return of the hungry hamster by Sam Hay

House at the end of the street by Lily Blake

What did you read?

Christmas giveaway

Hi guys, so today I have a little Christmas giveaway and you can win four books!

Here's what's up for grabs;

Kiss me under the mistletoe by Fiona Harper

Snowfall at Willow lake by Susan Wiggs

A merry little Christmas by Debbie Macomber and

Christmas magic by Nora Roberts

Deets

- Sorry guys but I cannot afford international shipping so this one is UK and IRE only.

- Closes Dec 24th with the winner announced on Christmas day.

- Winner will be contacted via email.

- You must be a blog follower to enter as this is a follower giveaway, additional follows elsewhere for extra entries are all optional.

- Fill in the form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

UK appreciation month - Wrap-up post

So, November has come to an end which means so has UK appreciation month, but don't worry, it's December which means Christmas is just around the corner! Who's excited?

In case you missed any, here are all the posts that went up during November for UK appreciation month, both here and on Book passion for life.

On Bookaholics;

Welcome post

Author C.J. Flood interview and giveaway - Closed

Set in the UK 1

Author Felicity Heaton interview

Author Rachel Ward guest post and giveaway - Closed

Set in the UK 2

Author Keris Stainton guest post and giveaway - Closed

Author Janet Edwards guest post

Author Katherine Roberts guest post and giveaway - Closed

Set in the UK 3

Author Belinda Rapley guest post

Set in the UK 4

Author Laxmi Hariharan guest post

Author D.A. Lascelles guest post

Set in the UK 5

Author Moira Young guest post and giveaway - Closed

Author Gemma Malley interview and giveaway - One day left to enter!

Set in the UK 6

Author Catherine Fisher interview

Author Alexander Gordon Smith guest post

Set in the UK 7

Author Cornelia Funke interview

Author Karen Mahoney interview

Set in the UK 8

Author David Massey guest post and giveaway - 10 days left to enter!

Author J.A. Belfield guest post and giveaway - 11 days left to enter!

Set in the UK 9 and giveaway - 11 days left to enter!

On Book passion for life;

Author C.J. Skuse interview

Author Kate Cann guest post and giveaway - Closed

Author C.J. Busby guest post and giveaway - Closed

Author Sarah Alderson interview and giveaway - Closed

Author Ninfa Hayes guest post

Author Ruth Warburton interview and giveaway - Closed

Author Sarah Crossan guest post

Author Dianna Hardy guest post and giveaway - Closed

Author Sam Hawksmoor interview and giveaway - Closed

Author James Dawson guest post and giveaway - Closed

Guest post Stephanie Burgis guest post and giveaway - Closed

Author L.A. Weatherley guest post and giveaway - 21 days left to enter!

Author Joss Stirling interview and giveaway - 21 days left to enter!

Phew! Can you believe we managed to fit all of that into one month!

Giveaway winners will be announced and contacted soon if you haven't been already.

and       

Showcase Sunday (27)

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

26th Nov - 2nd Dec

It's been a pretty quiet week for me, I only got one book but I'm pretty excited about it! The author, Jeff Norton contacted me about receiving a copy of book one, Fight for the future, but since I already had a copy that I bought a few months back, he sent me a copy of book two The dead are rising instead and he signed it, which is awesome! I'm planning to read and review both books during December :)

What did you get this week?

Diary of a Christmas wombat - Review

Diary of a Christmas wombat by Jackie French

Available now

www.harpercollins.co.uk 

What's it about?

Mothball the wombat is fighting the reindeer for the carrots left out by children when he takes an unexpected sleigh ride – so now it won’t be just Santa who faces the prospect of getting stuck in the chimney!

Mine and Oliver's review

This was a nice short read and was perfect for Oliver's bed time, he enjoyed looking at all the pictures which were lovely and not surrounded by too much extra detail so you were drawn straight to the central picture.
I liked the way it was written, as the Wombats actions for each picture, rather than as a straight out story, it gave the book a unique feel.
I also enjoyed how its a Christmas book but the wombat didn't even realise that, there was Santa and he was on his sleigh, he was just looking for carrots before his next nap. It gave the book a fun feel and amused me even though I'm an adult.
Me and Oliver haven't read any of the previous books in this series but we're definitely going to be checking them out as we both enjoyed this one and I think it'll last us way past Christmas.

Favourite illustration
The beautiful two page scene of the wombat asleep on the back of Santa's sleigh, overlooking the entire Earth with the sky in the background. There are no words on this page, just the big picture and every inch is used to create the wonderful scene whereas the other pages are left with a white background. It really stands out from the others and is a gorgeous image.

Find the author
Website
Goodreads