Too Many E-books!

I have a disgusting number of unread books sitting on my kindle (or ipad kindle app) and I need to do something about it.

Unlike my physical books, I don't look at them very often which means I often forget that there's books on there let alone specifically which ones I've purchased.
To force myself to rectify this and actually get through the mountain that lays before me I am setting myself the challenge of reading at least one of my e-books each month.

I'm really hoping that this will get me into the habit of at least looking through my library and actually having some awareness of what I have!

Here's to reading challenges!

Does anyone else have this problem? It can't just be me!

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Buddy Books | The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman.

London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?


I mentioned in a post a few days ago that me and my friend have started a book club and we finally named it! As we will be buddy reading all these books it shall hence forth be known as Buddy Books!
This months Buddy Book was The Dark Days Club, here's what I thought -

I really enjoyed this book, it seemed to have been researched amazingly well, both the expectations of society in the 1800's and the geography and understanding of London itself seemed very accurate and honest.

There was lot's of intrigue and unanswered questions as Lady Helen tries to unravel her family's past which left me wanting to find out more. She is relatable in that she is flawed, she doesn't necessarily follow the same beliefs as those around her, she makes mistakes and is unsure as to who she is supposed to be. Having said that she does always want to do what she believes is the right thing not just for herself but for those she cares for.

There were a number of characters I enjoyed reading about and following through their developments as there were surprises for them all. My personal favourites have to be Darcy and Lord Carlston.

The only negative I could say about this book was that it very much felt like the first book in a series. The whole book was build up which isn't necessarily a bad thing but occasionally I found myself wanting a little more action, learning more about Lady Helen's parents and experience the Dark Days Clubs adventures further. I will definitely read the rest of this series though as I can't wait to see what Lady Helen and Lord Carlston get up to next.

Lady Helen is strong, brave and kind. Lord Calrston is dark, mysterious and at times very intense.

There's humour, mystery, 19th century balls and a little bit of swoony romance. What's not to like about that?

I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on goodreads but have a feeling any future books will be higher. Let me know if you've read this and what you thought.

The Buddy Book for March will be Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - please read along with us if you're interested!

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Book Club.

This month me and my friend/life partner Sophie decided to start our own book club - official name to be confirmed.

If you've read any of my other posts you might have come across mentions of Sophie, but if you haven't she is an incredible book blogger and avid book reader. I lived with her at university and we've been fairly inseparable since.

I've always enjoyed reading but never did it regularly so haven't actually read that much. I don't know why I haven't as when I do pick up a book I tend to love it. So in order to try and get into the habit of reading more often we are going to choose one book a month to both read so that we have someone to discuss it with after finishing.

It won't be easy to find some that Sophie has yet to read but I'm sure we'll cope, I will be updating our progress on the blog/maybe YouTube so if you're interested in hearing opinions on books or reading along with us you can! Here's Sophies page so check that too.

The first book on the list for February was The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman so expect a review shortly.

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My First Blogger Meet Up.

I was very lucky to be able to attend a book blogger event at Walker publishers in London last weekend and here's what happened.

Actually before I tell you all about it I should probably explain how I, someone who has not blogged in months and even when she does it isn't often about books, managed to hustle an invite to this kind of event. Well it's all down to my beautiful love Sophie over at So Many Books, So Little Time - she is an incredible book blogger who has been going strong for many years now and just so happens to be my best friend.
The plan was already in place for me to go and stay with her when she was told about the meet up and rather than me changing the dates of my visit she asked if I could be her plus one, thankfully the wonderful people at Walker said I could crash the party.

We were up at the god awful time of 7am ... on a Saturday people. A Saturday! After a slightly misguided journey (thanks to engineering works and the stations for having no information on the platforms) we turned up in Vauxhall and met up with Sarah who is a blogger friend of Sophies and headed to the office.

The whole morning had a regency tea party theme because of Alison Goodman being one of the guests speaking to us about her book The Dark Days Club - set in regency London and following Lady Helen on her journey where she has to decide between taking her place in society or joining the sinister and dangerous world of demon hunting!
The first thing that happened? We ate croissants, which were later followed by scones with cream and jam and sandwiches galore. Once we'd successfully chowed down on the first lot of food we were hustled into the conference room where we had the chance to listen to a number of authors discuss their books -

Richard Kurti - Maladapted
Alison Goodman - The Dark Days Club
Nat Luurtsema - Goldfish

We were given the books of 2 of the above authors in a goodie bag along with 2 others, I did feel a tad guilty about taking the bag considering I was only there as an extra.... not guilty enough to not take it though. Obviously. I haven't quite decided which one to start with but I will definitely tell you all about them once they are released to the public.

Another speaker Nat Luutsema who is a comedian, actress, author, producer and all around super woman took some time to tell us about her new book, Goldfish, sadly it was not ready for us to take but I still want to tell you about it because the extract she read left me VERY excited for when it is published and I think you should be too. It is set to be hilarious, dry and one of those books you just won't want to end.

It was a fascinating morning and I loved learning more about publishing and what goes on behind the scenes - plus nothing gets you more wired to read than hanging with professionals and people who are insanely passionate about everything book!

Let me know if you've read any good books lately!

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Awesome Of The Week | Miranda Hart Book.

This is the first book I've read that's written by a comedian and I was very excited when I found it in a charity shop for less than £1!

"Is It Just Me" is full of unfortunate yet hilarious and (worryingly) really very relatable stories and anecdotes from Miranda's life. If you have seen her TV series you'll already have a pretty good idea of what to expect here, what I love is that she seems no different to the "character" you meet on the show.
Obviously the show is based on events that genuinely happened in her life but it's different when it's not acted or scripted and just her first hand accounts.
I'm so glad I decided to give this book a go as it just left me with this over powering feeling of acceptance and that however strange and unexpected things turn out there is always a funny side. I've never been one to take myself too seriously but after reading this I have realised just how ridiculous life can be and that it's life itself that should be laughed at not just myself.

You have to spend so much time being an adult but why does that mean we have to be grown up about it? I already had strong opinions on this but honestly this book has increased them 10 fold - have fun and be silly because at the end of it all the aim isn't to have money or power or world domination, but happiness. Happiness in what you're doing, who you spend time with and most importantly happiness in who you've become.

Miranda Hart thank you. I recommend this to absolutely every single person but especially you reading this now. Go forth, buy this book and feel empowered ..... and also kinda hungry!

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Booktober # 4: Pawn of Prophecy By David Eddings.

"Long ago, the Storyteller claimed, in this first book of THE BELGARIAD, the evil god Torak drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.

But Garion did not believe in such stories. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved--but did not know...?"

I am miffed at myself that my last Booktober installment has occurred almost half way through November, but I have won the battle with illness and general life business to complete the first in the epic David Eddings fantasy series.

After there being so much hype surrounding these books I went into it hoping beyond reason that I would enjoy it - I think my Dad would disown me if I didn't. Luckily I did! 
I will admit that it's slow to begin with and unless you are a fan of high fantasy you might struggle to get through this one at any great speed. Having said that once I was a fair way into it I did find myself being sucked into the adventure, you truly bond with and care for the characters you meet and feel like you are travelling along beside them.

 Even though this is apparently the slowest of the four I still found it a delight to read - it's only left me with extremely high hopes for the rest of them! With that in mind I have already put in my request for the others in the series to be dragged out of the loft and dusted off for me to start, especially with the promise that they only improve with time.

The world is described in stunning detail so if you have an active imagination like me you won't have any difficulty in immersing yourself. It is however done without being too over-bearing, I find quite often in high fantasy that so much emphasis is placed on building the world up that character development occasionally loses it way - I didn't find this to be the case at any stage of Pawn of Prophecy.

I think this would be an ideal choice for anyone that is just starting in fantasy as I am not overly experienced with it but didn't lose my way!

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Booktober #2: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

"In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought."

I have finished the second book of Booktober and I must admit that I massively regret this choice.... because thank to booktober I now have 2 more books to read before I can start the second in this series. Had I known how deeply I would fall in love with this book there is no way I would have even considered starting it without purchasing the next one, alas I now must wait.

The most important aspect of this book that needs to be mentioned is the language that Laini Taylor uses, every sentence oozes with stunning phrase and poetry and at times it's simply, heart achingly beautiful.

The story follows a girl named Karou who as main characters go is fascinating, she's unique and creative and pretty much everything I want to be as a person. You are immediately pulled into her world which on the surface is, well fairly average but falling deeper you learn about the dark, dangerous and exciting life she was truly born to live. Add to the mix Akiva who enters her life with an almighty force that pulls her away from everything she once knew. 
Everything that happens in this book is a fresh twist that changes all that you thought you knew about the creatures you have met along the way. There is so much more depth and many hidden secrets within each person that becomes entwined in Karous life.

I read most of this whilst on the train and on multiple occasions had a panic when I realised that I wasn't actually in Prague running errands for Brimstone but actually was heading home and needed to get off at the next stop.....
If you are at all interested in fantasy and other worldlyness ... or honestly even if you're not this book demands to be read. There's adventure, mystery and of course a romance that makes everything else seem so lack luster in comparison.

Pick up this book and you will not be disspointed. That's a guarantee. 

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I'm Doing Booktober

I have always been obsessed with learning about other peoples passions, the enthusiasm that exudes from someone who is in the midst of explaining something they love is an experience I treasure.


Now for a truly ridiculous amount of time I have been meaning to read more books, this is mostly due to the fact that for three years I lived with my lovely Sophie, who is the biggest book worm I have ever had the pleasure of meeting - and she is going to make it big in the industry very soon just you watch.

I shall digress from talking about how amazingly wonderful Sophie is so that I can explain the plan I am going to put into action in order to encourage myself into the habit of regular reading.
It is inspired by the brilliant Carrie Hope Fletcher, who for those that don't know is a YouTuber, blogger, author and currently playing Eponine in the Westends Les Mis.

She is an avid reader and every October she chooses four books to read and discuss, meaning each week throughout the month she has something to talk about with other literature enthusiasts - hence the name Booktober (Video about hers is linked here). I wish to do the same this month, so below are the 4 books I have had in my "To Be Read Pile" for months and months that I hope to finally get round to reading, I will write a little about each one when I finish and will link to them all below:

- Remember me?: Sophie Kinsella
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone: Laini Taylor
- Throne of Glass: Sarah J Maas
- Pawn of Prophecy: David Eddings


Anyone that fancies giving it a go or is simply interested in reading more I encourage you to do so, let me know if you plan to get involved and what books you are going to devour.

If that isn't enough inspiration than maybe knowing that this month is also host to the Books Are My Bag campaign which is an annual drive to get people to support book shops by bringing together readers of all ages, genders and genres to remind themselves what makes book shops so magical. Find all the info you need here and get involved.

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