Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (80)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged hosted by Talk Supe is a weekly meme where you can share your book haul, ongoing events and news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.
Please Note: All images link back to their GR pages.
 

New Books

Since last time I did a haul post I have accidentally aquired a lot of new books and Christmas is so close so goodness knows how I'm ever going to read everything I own. As you will notice with the first lot of books, there is a little theme happening here. Not only did I splurge on George Orwell books but I did so because of the designer of the covers - David Pearson - he did a guest lecture at my university and ideally I wanted to purchase a complete set of the great idea volumes but they're expensive so I settled on this mismatched set he did instead.

 

For my current university project we kind of got to do what we wanted as long as its on the city, I took ages making my decision because I don't actually know much about Sheffield. For me its just the city I'm in whilst I'm studying y'know? Anyway its ended up very book related - more on that later - so I've been visiting a bunch of second hand book shops and a few books have made their way home with me.

Startled by his furry shorts and Blameless helped to start completing series that I need to finish at some point. Ben Elton was recently recomended to me by my boyfriend so I had to grab this, Cat's Eye is full of annotation that I just fell in love with, and of course I couldn't turn down a King book.

Afterworlds and Soundless were both picked up on my exploration of smaller book shops in Sheffield, though not second hand, and I'm back home now to find Tempting the Best Man there for me... and I don't really know where it came from? I didn't buy it and it says the invoice is for the publishers so perhaps its a review copy? But I honestly dont know.

Review: Double Click by Lisa Becker

Double Click by Lisa Becker
Series: Click #2
Genre: Romance / Contemporary
Length: 308 pages
Published on 26th March 2013 by Create Space
Purchase: Amazon / B&N
Lisa Becker: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Copy recieved from author

Synopsis:
Fans of the romantic hit Click: An Online Love Story will enjoy another voyeuristic dive into the lives of Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Ethan, as Double Click picks up with their lives six months later. Are Renee and Ethan soul mates? Does Mark ever go on a date? Has Shelley run out of sexual conquests in Los Angeles? Will Ashley's judgmental nature sabotage her budding relationship? Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click answers these questions and more. Readers will continue to cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends.

Read, Play, Blog: Zombie Apocalypse Survival Team

"Read Play Blog is a meme about video games and books, posted every 16th of the month. Bloggers are encouraged to answer a discussion question, and recommend a video game that is similar to a book they liked. Hosted by Happy Indulgence Books & Read Me Away."

Surprise zombie apocalpyse! Which three game characters are on your survival team?

Review: Silence by Natasha Preston

Silence by Natasha Preston
Series: Silence #1
Genre: Young Adult / Romance
Length: 219 pages
Published on 18th October 2012 by CreateSpace
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / The Book Depository
Natasha Preston: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Freebie from amazon

Synopsis: For eleven years, Oakley Farrell has been silent. At the age of five, she stopped talking, and no one seems to know why. Refusing to communicate beyond a few physical actions, Oakley remains in her own little world.

Bullied at school, she has just one friend, Cole Benson. Cole stands by her, refusing to believe that she is not perfect the way she is. Over the years, they have developed their own version of a normal friendship. However, will it still work as they start to grow even closer?

When Oakley is forced to face someone from her past, can she hold her secret in any longer?

Silence follows Oakley an abuse survivor, just about.

She hasn't spoken for eleven years because of this and whilst it takes most of the book to give the full details on the events that happened, its fairly easy to figure them out earlier on.

Having the main protagonist not speak, at all, was surely an interesting take on things and interesing to read. 

It made the blossoming of hers and Cole's friendship into relationship really intersting and sweet because it illustrated just how well they knew each other regardless of the fact the conversation was one sided. He knew her expressions and feelings very well.

Another positive thing about this book was seeing how much stronger she had gotten over the years when having to face the past very suddenly. 

However I overall felt very meh about this book. I wanted to thoroughly enjoy it but the actual confrontation and resolution of the problem was very rushed and brushed over, if almost like an after thought that having the story be only on her and Cole's relationship was too drab? - it wasn't. 

Then there are the few chapters we get from Cole's point of view... they were just 'eh?

Once the secret is revealed Oakleys decision to deal with it is to move to Australia. She's spent 11 years living with the secret, growing as best she could, starting a relationship, and finally getting the justice she deserves and she ups and leaves.

Part of me agrees this makes sense, but another part makes me feel like a move of house would've been better considering she had already made such progress where she was.

I'm just super conflicted with this book, and after much thought I wont be continuing the series.

2.5 stars / 5 stars

Other books in this series

Bought, Borowed & Bagged (79)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged hosted by Talk Supe is a weekly meme where you can share your book haul, ongoing events and news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.
Please Note: All images link back to their GR pages.
 

New Books

A while back I won some Amazon.com Gift Cards and I had wanted to spend them on some ebooks but because I live in the UK I couldn't do that, instead I bought Radiant Shadows and Darkest Mercy to complete my Wicked Lovely collection - but of course even though I bought the right publisher they're still different height to my UK editions fml - Enthralled that I read a while back from the library and Faery Tales & Nightmares because hooray for more short stories.

September Wrap Up

September has been a busy month for myself but a happy one too. I managed to get a fair bit of reading done which I'm pleased about and I'm still ahead of my GR challenge.

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (78)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged hosted by Talk Supe is a weekly meme where you can share your book haul, ongoing events and news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.
Please Note: All images link back to their GR pages.
 

New Books

Diablo III: Book of Cain was a birthday gift from my lovely boyfriend, I actually got two copies of Nimona this month (hardcover as a birthday gift from my dad and paperback from a book swap on tumblr) oops, a long time follower on tumblr purchased Mad Max: Fury Road Inspired Artists and The Art of Satoshi Kon (and an ink pen) from my Amazon Wishlist for me - holy cow, and Sketching from the Imagination: Fantasy was a birthday present from my flatmate. So basically I'm super super thankful for all these lovely gifts.

If you want to check out any of Satoshi Kon's work I highly recommend Perfect Blue, it is my all time favourite anime movie. It took me 5 years to be able to buy a copy because it was always out of stock or unavailable.

I won a signed copy of City in Embers thanks to Black Heart Reviews and they sent some bookmarks and stickets too, and Not After Everything is the book in Augusts box from Lovingly Bookish, it just took me until now to open mine as it was at my house.

 

The books listed below are freebies that I've picked up throughout September and forgot to add  to my goodreads and posts because my kindle has no internet connection! I can't guarentee any of them are still free but worth checking them out if you're interested in any.

Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
Length: 418 pages
Published on 15th August 2013 by Bloomsbury
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / The Book Depository
Sarah J. Maas: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Copy purchased from Amazon

Synopsis:
Crowned by Evil.
Bound by Duty.
Divided by Love.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies' blood - but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, put those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors - a captain and a prince - and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom...

Read Play Blog: Surprising Games

"Read Play Blog is a meme about video games and books, posted every 16th of the month. Bloggers are encouraged to answer a discussion question, and recommend a video game that is similar to a book they liked. Hosted by Happy Indulgence Books & Read Me Away."

Is there a video game that surprised you when you played it, whether in a good or bad way?

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (77)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged hosted by Talk Supe is a weekly meme where you can share your book haul, ongoing events and news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.
Please Note: All images link back to their GR pages.
 

New Books

Both The Untold Tale by J. M. Frey and Untouchable by S. A. Starcevic are books I've recieved for review from the author. I'm excited to read both of these are both authors contacted me via my tumblr so its nice to get noticed over there too. 

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
Length: 404 pages
Published on 2nd August 2012 by Bloomsbury
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / The Book Depository
Sarah J. Maas: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Received from NetGalley and purchased myself a copy

Synopsis:
Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly.
Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Current Plunder: Enthrall by M.R. Reed

Enthrall by M.R. Reed
Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction
Length: 318 pages
Published on 12th October 2014 by M.R. Reed
Purchase: Amazon US / Amazon UK

Synopsis: 

After years of being a helpless witness to his alcoholic father’s abuse towards his family, seventeen-year-old Miles Boswell has just about reached his breaking point. He dreams of the day where he can leave everything behind and begin a new life on his own -- that is, until he discovers that he has the ability to control people’s minds. Suddenly, the odds are overwhelmingly in his favor.

But what begins as the answer to all of his problems soon causes him to question his every thought when he captures the attention of August Sylvan, who seems to be the girl of his dreams. As someone who has limited experience with girls, Miles can’t help but wonder -- where do his powers end, and where does reality begin? 

At the same time, he finds himself at constant odds with his morals and his potentially warped sense of justice...and soon discovers that nothing is as simple as it seems.

This book contains strong language, violent scenes, and some sexual content. It is not intended for readers under 17. “Rated R”

M.R. Reed: Amazon | Tumblr | Facebook | Goodreads
There are a number of things that I am – mother, teacher, roller derby player, and author – and I wish that there were more hours in a day in which to enjoy all of them. My favorite type of books are ones that feature realistic, flawed characters that don’t necessarily have a happy ending, because let’s face it – life isn’t always tied up in a neat little box. My passion for the X-Men, science fiction, punk rock, and the straight-edge lifestyle are what inspired me to write this book. If any of those things appeal to you, read on!

Excerpt

July & August Wrap Up

July and August were pretty great months for myself, even if I did take a month off from blogging to visit my boyfriend, I was still able to read and game  a lot and get back into the swing of things with blogging. I'm so happy to be back and I'm praying my final year studying wont halt my progress here.

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (76)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged hosted by Talk Supe is a weekly meme where you can share your book haul, ongoing events and news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.
Please Note: All images link back to their GR pages.
 

New Books

Emerge and Nirvana are both books I've recieved for review, both the first of a series so I'm looking forward to that. Queen of Shadows I bought after pestering my friends to make sure no one bought it for me for my birthday because I just couldn't wait any longer to read it, and Neverwhere I also bought after someone said I reminded them of Door from this book.