Hi there! I’m Kay: an opinionated book blogger enamoured with the world of novels. Reader of Speculative Fiction (the posh word for Sci-Fi/Fantasy) and Young Adult novels. Believer in the many uses of the towel, the science of deduction and other fandom in-jokes.
This blog has been closed since early 2016. To the publishers and writers: thanks for all the support over the years. To my readers and fellow bloggers: keep in touch!
Recent Reviews
Waiting on Wednesday: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that are being eagerly anticipated.
Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends #1) by Kelley Armstrong
Goodreads – High Fantasy YA – April 8th 2014 by HarperCollinsIn the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.
Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.
Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.
Kelley Armstrong is one of those authors I have on default “add to wishlist” settings for. That said, this series sounds extra good. For starters, it is High Fantasy! From Kelley! AM I THE ONLY ONE EXCITED?!
… ahem.
Otherwise: I am assuming this is a YA novel because of the whole “girls” mention, but I am not sure. Can anyone confirm that?
National Book Festival 2013: A Recap and Giveaway
Illustrated by Suzy Lee
Last month, I while attending a conference in Washington D.C. for work, I stumbled across the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival. I had had no idea it would be on while I was there, but I was happy to fit it into my schedule!
Not being a US Resident, I had no idea what National Book Festival was. In short: it is a massive, two day, open air event during which over 100 authors give talks to crowds about their books, the genre and – well – anything else they like!
The festival site was divided according to genre, with pavilions dedicated to: Children, Teens & Children, Fiction & Mystery, History & Biography, Contemporary Life, Poetry & Prose, Graphic Novels & Science Fiction and Special Programmes. There was also a huge signing area – which reminded me of BEA – and a tent hosted by Barnes & Noble where you could buy books by the authors attending.
Despite some torrential rain, there were hundreds upon hundreds of book fans in attendance. School groups, pension groups and single book lovers all merged together to form a really diverse audience. Most of the pavilions were overflowing!
What I loved about my experience at the festival was the diversity available. I decided not to focus too much on the YA scene, and took the opportunity to listen to authors I usually wouldn’t pick up. Namely, I heard a great talk by historian Henry Wiencek about Thomas Jefferson (I bought his book, Master of the Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves, despite not being a history buff); I listened to Thomas Kenealley (author of Schindler’s List) discuss writing about the Second World War from a Pacific perspective; and, I learned about how the Library of Congress is restoring archived audio footage.
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- National Book Festival 2013 (with the Smithsonian Castle in the background).
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- The Teens and Children Pavilion at the Festival.
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- Veronica Roth’s talk was absolutely packed. I couldn’t see over all the heads!
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- The Library of Congress asked what books we think changed the world: as usual, the argument descended into a religious debate (although my friend here did not go that route 🙂
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- Book Signing Schedule – yes, that’s the Washington Monument in the background!
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- Thomas Kenealley addressed a huge crowd despite the rain!
That said, I did attend one (very, very full) talk by YA author Veronica Roth. She was very personable and made some really interesting points about the portrayal of “strong girls” in YA novels. She discussed how the type of “strength” that we celebrate in YA heroines is a very masculine strength: being able to shoot arrows and beat people up. It made me consider my own biases. Am I too focused on this very male strength? What is feminine strength? And when can we see that type of strength in male characters? Very, very interesting.
On a superficial note: the festival poster is absolutely stunning. It is illustrated by Suzy Lee – whose wordless book, Wave, actually sold out during the Festival – and features creatures of all sizes reading books!
I picked up a few extra posters which I am happy to be giving away! Just fill in the form below and get yourself a gorgeous piece of wall art. Here’s what mine looks like on my wall:
My National Book Festival poster looking shiny. You know you want one.
Giveaway details!
The Prize: One of THREE National Book Festival 2013 Posters illustrated by Suzy Lee
To enter (Terms and Conditions):
- fill out the form below.
- entrants must be 13 years of age or older.
- contest open WORLDWIDE (i.e. Lunar residents will be excluded)
- the winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply else a new winner will be chosen.
- the winner will have to share their postal address – shocking, but a necessary evil when using antique forms of contact such as mail.
Read-a-thon Mini-Challenge: Show It Off 2.0!
Hey there, fellow read-a-thon-ers!
Thinking about sneaking a nap in? No way! Grab a cup of tea or coffee (or a Red Bull) because you’re in for the long-haul now. While you’re at it, get out your camera’s for the Hour 19 “Show It Off” Mini-challenge.
Here’s your challenge: I want you to show off a book (or books) from your library that you are extremely proud of. The unique, signed or simply dear-to-your-heart editions that you’d grab if there were a fire.
Need some examples? Well, how about that signed, personalised edition by your favourite author? Or how about that shelf of painstakingly-collected of every Jane Austen-related book in existence? Perhaps you’ve an extremely dog-eared copy of a book that’s been passed down through your family? Anything goes – just make it something special to you.
Last year, I chose to show off my near-and-dear to me copies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. They are beautiful editions that have been in the family for decades. But this year – to give you something different – I thought I’d share one of my favourite signed copies ever: Bill Clinton’s Giving: How Each Of Us Can Change The World
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- Giving: How each of us can change the world by Bill Clinton
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- Giving by Bill Clinton
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- Tried getting my hound Odin’s opinion, but he mainly wanted to address why I woke him from his nap!
I met President Clinton in London in 2007 and was absolutely over the moon. Technically – my mother reminds me – I met him when I was a little girl and he was campaigning. He was so ridiculously nice in person; he made it seem like he was talking only to you, even though he was meeting dozens of people. It was a great experience and I wouldn’t change this copy for a thing. (OK, that’s not true. If you had a book signed by John Adams, I’d trade you in a second. Adams is, and forever shall be, my favourite US President.)
Now, show off yours!
- Take a picture of a book/books from your library you really want to show off: signed editions, rare editions, obsessively-organized Sherlock Holmes collections – just whatever is special to you!
- Post your photo on your blog, twitter, facebook, flickr, etc. then add your link below.
- One winner will be chosen to receive $15/£10 gift certificate to Amazon/Book Depository
- This challenge will close in three hours (just before hour 22)
Thank you everyone! I loved looking at everyone’s entries – you guys have great collections!
And the winner is…
Congrats Tanja @ Time for Reading! I will be in touch soon 🙂
Dewey’s 24-hour Readathon 2013: TBR pile, Updates, Mini-Challenges, oh my!
Tis the season for a Readathon! I am very excited about this year’s readathon: it is exactly what I need to get back into the swing of reading after my summer illness.
Once again, I am going to be hosting the Show It Off! challenge at Hour 19 – stay tuned for that, it will be great fun (again)! I actually haven’t picked what I am going to show off yet, so it will be a challenge for me too!
So, what’s on my TBR pile?
Diversity is key for readathons – you always need that back-up novel for when things start to turn south. This year, I’ve got a few sequels-I’ve-been-dying-to-read, a few for-review books that look great, and a couple of light hearted novels/graphic novels that should be perfect around midnight!!
- Fathomless by Jackson Pearce
- Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
- Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
- Just Your Average Princess by Kristin Springer
- Angelfall by Susan Ee
- The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks
Readathon Must-Haves
With every readathon, I learn something new about myself that helps me prepare for the next readathon. Here are my must-haves for any readathon!
- Healthy snacks: Chocolate is tempting, but it won’t be after Hour 23. Stick to what makes your tummy happy!
- TEA. At the moment, I am rocking some Organic Lavender Grey by Tea Palace. Yum.
- Slippers! Warm feet are happy feet. These are my vampire bunny slippers signed by Rachel Caine.
Introductions!
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
I am currently in… France! Tis rather cold at the moment, to be honest.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
1000% Patricia Briggs. I love that woman.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
The Taralli Casereco Pugliesi – google them and then buy some. They are Italy’s greatest creation.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am a EU/UK blogger who reads YA/Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi. I lurve meeting fellow booklovers, so don’t be shy!
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I last participated in the 2012 October readathon… this year, I’m much more prepared in terms of snacks and distractions. The computers are facing AWAY from the reading area!
Updates
Hour 1: After 40+ min of general excitement, I am finally reading Angelfall!
Hour 2-3: I’ve been picking up/putting down Angelfall every two minutes. The book is just SO TENSE. I mean, it’s amazing, but Gah! I’m getting nervous!
Hour 4: Angelfall is still being frustratingly awesome.
Hour 5-6: OK, problem. This book is ending soon and it is way too good!! When is the sequel coming out? Tomorrow??
Hour 7: JUST FINISHED ANGELFALL AND OMG SO MANY SHIPPER FEELINGS.
Hour 8: Can’t completely decide between Hunting Ground and Forever, so I am taking a break and having some food! (May also watch some Project Runway, but let’s not talk about that.)
Hour 11: So, I’m fed, rested and caught up on twitter. I guess that means it’s time to go back to reading, huh? Hunting Ground it is!
Hour 12: So I lied: I am going to sleep!! Just for a few hours…. You’ll barely even notice I’m gone…
Hour 17: I’m up! I might not be able to accomplish any coherent reading though.
Hour 18: Yup, no coherent reading done. That said, I’ve sorted out some mini-challenges, so I am calling it a win. 🙂
Hour 20: I spent WAY too long on mini challenges (I animated a gif!!) and no time reading! Going to start Adventures of Superhero Girl in order to feel productive.
Hour 21: The Adventures of Superhero Girl was A-MA-ZING. Seriously loved every second.
Hour 22-23: I’ve made some solid progress into Hunting Ground, thought it is 1000% NOT going to be finished today!
Mini-Challenges
Hour 2 – Book Tunes
Choose a song that best suits the book you’re reading so far and explain why.
I’m reading Angelfall by Susan Ee and the PERFECT song for it is Fallen Empires by Snow Patrol. Take a listen!
Hour 4 – Spine Poetry!
I looooove the Spin Poetry challenge. This year, I came up with:
The Candidates, Eve and Adam, crossed the floating islands.
Hour 5 – Blackout Poetry!
I have ALWAYS wanted to try my hand at some blackout poetry. Turns out, it is pretty difficult… Here’s my best attempt!
Hour 8 – Books on Books
For this challenge, we had to pull some books from the shelves that have books on the cover. Here’s what I found:
Hour 17 – Armchair Travel
Over at Reader’s Respite, we were asked to share a novel that had taken us on a great voyage. For me, the answer was easy: Moloka’i by Alan Brennert. This book took me on a glorious voyage all the way to the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i. It was set at the turn of the last century, when the island was a leper colony. My mother visited the island before I was born and was able to give me some wonderful descriptions to add to the reading experience. It’s a beautiful location and a beautiful book.
Hour 17 – MEME
As you can see, I had WAY too much fun with this challenge. I mean, I animated it for goodness sakes!
Hour 18 – BOOK JENGA!
This was actually easier than it looked. I was tempted to add a third level!
Hour 22 – Turn the Page!
I used Patricia Briggs’ Hunting Ground, page 32, to make this sentence:
“I would rather read than screw up in public any day!”
Hour 23 – Reading Soundtrack
Since I am now on a different book, I can now choose a different soundtrack! I’d say “The Wolf” by Fever Ray is a great, atmospheric match for Hunting Ground:
Goodbyes! – Final Hour Questions
1) Which hour was most daunting for you?
The post-Angelfall hours were the toughest. I couldn’t bring myself to read anything else after such a great book. Took a nap to compensate and woke to tackle two more books!
2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I did a whole post on this: My #Readathon Recs 🙂
3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Nope! I love how it was organised this year (and last, really) – wouldn’t change a thing!
4) What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I absolutely loved how active the hashtag was – I know it has trended during previous editions, but it felt unusually active. There was a great sense of community.
5) How many books did you read?
I finished 2 books, and am currently reading #3.
6) What were the names of the books you read?
I finished Angelfall by Susan Ee and The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks. I am currently reading Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs.
7) Which book did you enjoy most?
Hard to choose! I loved them both and they are so radically different.
8) Which did you enjoy least?
Can’t say – again, I loved them both. 😉
9) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I will take part in as many readathons as I can (schedule permitting!) I absolutely loved hosting a challenge again, and will certainly do so next time.
Until next year kids!
My #Readathon Recs!
Tomorrow is Dewey’s Readathon – whoot! I absolutely adore the 24 hour readathon. It is The Best Way to Get Out of a Reading Funk TM. If you haven’t signed up… why not?!
But choosing the books to tackle during your readathon? That’s kinda tough. As a general rule, I look for YA novels (as they are shorter), Graphic Novels and books from authors I know I love. But, to be honest, you won’t know what you should be reading until you pick up the book you shouldn’t.
That said, here are a couple of books I think are perfect for a readathon. They are addictive, mind-blowingly good and should certainly keep you up all night. Usually, that latter point is one you might want to avoid… but not during a 24 hour readathon!
Dare You To by Katie McGarry (Goodreads)
I just finished this book a couple of weeks ago and was completely in love. I read this sucker in a single sitting; I was 1000% addicted. It takes a few chapters to get into it, but it is completely worth it.
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads)
This one won’t be a surprise to my long-time readers! I ADORE this series. It was what got me into the YA genre and resulted my first read-it-in-one-sitting reading experience since Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was that good. And since this book came out quite a few years ago, it might be new to some of you…?
Temeraire by Naomi Novik (Goodreads)
This is my rare adult novel choice: despite being rather wordy – you might not finish it during the readathon – it is fantastically addictive. While reading it, I wanted (and still do) to move immediately to the universe Naomi created.
So, I hope this gave you a few ideas! Comment or tweet me if you have any suggestions for books I should pick up tomorrow!