Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them #4

Hey folks now I know some people might have been wondering where the fandazzle the cover feature went after only 3 weeks back in November but if you also follow Jess of Jess Hearts Books then you might know that her computer went kaput and she wasn't able to blog for 3 weeks so instead of just posting my side of the cover feature we put it on hold until we both could post our delicious cover picks. And thankfully the time has come for us to relaunch the feature! *drumroll*

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them!

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it!

Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!

Wood Angel by Erin Bow

If people are recognising the author's name and thinking "ooh has she got a new book out?" sorry but no. This is the cover for the UK edition of Plain Kate. For reasons unknown the title has been changed but I gotta say that I *Adore* this cover far more than the US version. 

The curly title lettering is lovely and the faery-like girl surrounded by sparkling flora and fauna is simply beautiful. The colours are not garish and I really love the green and the silvery-white of the girl's dress.

Although it doesn't exactly scream "sort-of high fantasy story" it is mind-bogglingly gorgeous and I'm really excited to get it when it's released on the 7th of March 2011.

So That's What I'm Licking This Week (although this cover might call for delicate nibbling :P)

Go Check out what Jess is Licking this Week over on her blog!

Ciao Darlings,

LadyV

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Book Review - Inside Out

In my attempt to have some reviews up during the first week or two of January this is another book I read between Christmas and New Year. I couldn't have you folk left without anything decent to read on here while I actually *read* some books!

Title: Inside Out
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Date: 31/12/2010 AM
Source: Bought
Description: Keep Your Head Down. Don't Get Noticed. Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. (Description taken from Goodreads)

My Review

If you didn't know already I am a big fan of Maria's Study and Glass trilogies so when I heard she was writing a dystopia novel my inner fangirl got rather excited. I love me a good dystopia novel anyway but from one of my favourite fantasy authors? Double whammy of awesome!

As the story starts we are dunked straight into Trella's world of cleaning pipes, dodging Pop Cops and generally avoiding mingling with her fellow Scrubs. We get a very no-nonsense view of life in the lower levels, while many of the people crammed down there often get excited by rumours of a Gateway out of the four floor facility where the Uppers and Lowers live, work and die, Trella remains realistic and dismisses such rumours as ploys used by the Controllers to keep the scrubs from revolting.

At first Trella can come across as rather cold and detached from the world she lives in but over time you begin to understand how hard it is to form lasting friendships with people who could get snatched away from you at any time by the authorities for the smallest of offences. And also since the majority of the people around Trella don't explore the pipes and the Gaps in between the four levels like she does, no one quite knows what kind of place they are living in.

I really liked her meeting with the boy from the Upper Levels - Riley, he gave us the other point of view although both his and Trella's idea of each other's lifestyle was marred by prejudice. She thought the Uppers were all snobs living in their spacious apartments while he just thought of the Scrubs in the blissfully ignorant way people staying in hotels think about the housekeeping staff. He was quite the sweetie though and had the most adorable way with stuffed sheep toys.

Maria creates a very interesting and gritty world that brings up many questions as the story unfolds. What is Outside? Is there a Gateway? How did everyone get Inside? What was the world like before they started counting the weeks? What will happen when they reach the whispered Millionth Week?

Some of these questions get answered, some don't and some answers leave you yearning for further explanation. As one set of problems get resolved the next set rise to the forefront, political and social orders are tested and life Inside may never be the same again.

We're pulled through the story fairly quickly and get to experience all the strange new discoveries about Inside right along with Trella although there are a couple of surprising moments that weren't obvious early on. The ending leaves you anxious to know what will happen in the next book Outside In and I certainly can't wait to read it!

If you loved Maria's other books then I'm sure you'll enjoy this exciting new series. Trella is a feisty no-nonsense heroine with the compassion to help others to do what's right.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Inside Out was released in the UK on the 1st January 2011, and the second book in the series Outside In is due to be released on the 18th March 2011. So keep an eye out for that!

That's the last 2010 review I'll do, now it'll be all about the 2011 reads.
Enjoy!
LadyV 

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Top Ten Tuesday - Books I resolve to read in 2011

Howdy folks, since this Tuesday was feeling a bit empty and all I decided to get all listy and participate in this week's Top Ten meme.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature created at The Broke and the Bookish because they rather like making lists and love to share them with their fellow bloggers! 

Ten Books I want to read in 2011

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - Everyone and their auntie have been raving about this book and since my copy just arrived this morning *pats book beside her* it's going to be one of my top priorities this year.
2. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray - I have been putting off reading this mammoth book for a couple of years now but since I finally read Rebel Angels last year I think I'm gonna have to bite the bullet this year, even if it is scarily big.
3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak - I know I must be one of the last people on the planet who hasn't read this but I've been wary about the hype and the one time I actually started it I didn't get past page 40. But I shall try again and see how I go.
4. All the Things We didn't Say by Sara Shepard - I received this as part of an Early Review program back in February and I still haven't got round to reading it. Must do it soon!
5. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness - Since I adored the Knife of Never Letting Go I really need to get on with reading the other two books in the trilogy. 
6. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain - Why haven't I read this yet? Who knows but I will get to it in the next few months.
7. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - I have so many classics I should read so this one is as good a place as any to start.
8. The Way of the Shadows by Brent Weeks - I did get a fair way into this High Fantasy book but then I got distracted by other books and never went back to it. I want to re-start it so I can read the others in the trilogy.
9. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - It's one of those books you kinda have to read n'est-ce pas?
10. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - I've read 3 Austen books this is one of the 3 I have left  to read.

So that's my list of books that I wholly intend to read in 2011 *snorts* although whether I actually do will remain to be seen since I am notoriously bad for making a list and ignoring it entirely.

Have a great Tuesday y'all

LadyV

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Book Review - Entangled

Although I didn't get a review copy of this I did read it just after Christmas which was because of the lucky coincidence that WhSmiths put out several early January releases several weeks ahead of time. On with the review!

Title: Entangled
Author: Cat Clarke
Date: 27/12/2010 AM
Source: Bought
Description: The same questions whirl round and round in my head: 
What does he want from me? 
How could I have let this happen? 
AM I GOING TO DIE? 
17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here. 
As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see? 
Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here? (Description taken from Goodreads)

My Review

I had been hearing about this book for a month or two before I read it and although people were saying how brilliant it was I still didn't have much idea what it was about. The synopsis is delightfully cryptic and you don't quite realise the sheer awesomeness of this book until you are up to your eyeballs in Grace's story.

I loved Grace's voice, so appropriate for her age and with the slightly mish-mash way of thinking that most teenagers have which causes the tangent-like jumps between the events she writes about. The fact that this is a British novel is fab because Grace uses words that I love to use myself and there is just not enough UK-authored YA fiction about at the moment. 

Right from the first chapter you're drawn into Grace's head, wondering where she is and why this Ethan chap is keeping her locked up. Slowly we learn more about Grace's life before she woke up in the white room and all the crazy drama with her best friend and her boyfriend. She is by no means perfect and makes quite a few mistakes during the story but no teenager is capable of being completely tactful all the time and is bound to have moments of self-centred introversion when they don't think about how their actions affect other people, but I love Grace for trying to do her best to come to terms with her own faults. 

Throughout the story Ethan is pretty much a mystery, he's gorgeous yes but Grace can't weasel out any concrete facts about him. She remembers meeting him in the park one night just before she was about to do something incredibly extreme, after chatting to him for a while she doesn't remember what happened next and when she comes to she's in the white room with just biros and paper for company. He just wants her to write and remember but why?

What is so brilliant about Entangled is how for the majority of the book you think you know what is going on, but just before the end Cat Clarke pulls the rug right out from under you and you're bowled over by the realisation that *nothing* is as it seems. Now *that* is one heck of a way to finish a book!

Cracking Characters, wicked writing, particularly mind-blowing plot (seriously struggled with an alliterative word to go with plot :P) and all-around Brilliant Book. One of my favourite books of 2010 and I am now *dying* to read Cat's second book because after the ending to Entangled I honest-to-God thought to myself "I can haz moar plz?" - now if I start thinking in LOLCat then you *know* it's a big deal :P

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Entangled is available from the 6th January 2011 in the UK I don't know when the US release date is at the moment. Cat Clarke's website is Here

I'm hoping this will be the start of a more productive blogging year and I will be able to keep on top of my reviews. Folk can nag me if they want to see a review of a particular book I've read :P

Laters

LadyV

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Top Ten Books Read in 2010

Hurrah! I finally got round to looking through my stats for 2010 and deciding on my Top Ten favourite reads for the year. It turned out to be easier than I expected since out of the 36 books I rated 5 Stars half of them were re-reads :P

I'm now going to list my Top Ten (plus Notable Mention) in the order in which I read them in 2010 because then I don't have to pick an outright favourite- although I still might :P

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I read this back in January and was blown away by it, one of the classics that really ought to be read. It was also the first book I actually reviewed on this blog. You can find the review Here

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Don't be fooled by the intimidating size of this tome, it may be chunky but the pages fly by in a whirlwind of plots, schemes and revenge! I was really glad to have read this although I think if I'm going to re-read it at any time I'll try and find an e-book to save my wrists!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

This debut novel was raved about by so many people although for some it was a bit of a Marmite book (Either Love it or Hate it). I adored it and Lauren's second book Delirium is also fabulous.

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

While this isn't a terribly recent book, this Dystopia novel should be a staple read for every person who loves the genre. Hard-hitting and heart-breaking it really gives you food for thought. 

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

If anyone saw my tweets after I read this you might remember how totally blown-away I was by this novel. A big book with quite a bite, and a fabulously creative style of writing. The review I did for this is Here and I can tell you that the two sequels are going to be high priority this year.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

 A beautifully written book which really  makes you think about the tough choices.  Can't wait to read Where She Went.

World War Z by Max Brooks

Extremely unsettling (in the best way) zombie apocalypse novel. Although it's fiction you can be very easily fooled into thinking it's fact. My Review is Here.

 Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Fascinating and wonderfully written novel. A blend of contemporary and historical and two heroines whom you are rooting for the whole time despite their flaws.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

The book we had all been waiting for. The book I read in record time. The book that revealed the fate of some of the best characters in YA vampire fiction :P My review of this amazing book is Here.

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Although this book isn't technically released until 6/1/2011 I read it just after Christmas and holy cow! Stunning debut novel that I will be reviewing shortly.

So that is my Top Ten favourite Reads for 2010! Honourable mention goes to the Lord of the Rings which I finished back in February although since my edition was in 3 volumes it was only The Return of the King which I rated 5 Stars but the trilogy as a whole was epic (although I do also love the films :P).

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what awesome books 2011 throws my way.

Ciao

LadyV

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In My Mailbox #34 - Happy New Year!

Hey Hi Hello! We're kicking off 2011 with an Epic Haul in My Mailbox and I can't tell you how much I am *dying* to read all of them!

As always In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie



Books Acquired This Week
Going too Far by Jennifer Echols
Forget You by Jennifer Echols
Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles
Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Ghost Town by Rachel Caine
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Matched by Ally Condie
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter
Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison (Library)
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (Library)
The Radleys by Matt Haig (Library)


Seriously awesome load of books I have this week, not sure how they're gonna fit onto my shelves but what the heck I'm gonna try my best. If people would like to see a decent vlog of my bookshelves then do tell me and I'll borrow my sisters Flip camera which is loads more mobile than my laptop and its webcam.

I hope everyone had a Happy (and Safe) New Year, mine was fairly calm - I went round to my boyf's and had dinner, played trivial pursuit with his parents (cos we're seriously Nerdy like that), drank wine, got tipsy cos I'm pathetically easy to get drunk, went to see some friends, came back and was in bed reading before midnight. I'm *such* a party person lol.

What's In Your Mailbox this New Year?
LadyV

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December and 2010 Round-off

Well damn... it's now 2011 and I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out where 2010 went. This year has been a blur really and so much has happened so I shall summarise the year as quickly as I can before moving onto the round-off for December.

January
I started this blog and proceeded to neglect it for a few months. This month was actually my most prolific in terms of reading but I suppose that was because my second semester lectures didn't start until the beginning of February.

February-April
Not much happened in terms of blog or life in general

May
This was the month I finally got my blogging pants on and really went to town getting everything spruced up. Coincidentally it was also the last month of my first year in University.

June
Back home and I kicked my heels for a few weeks because at the end of the month I went on Cricket Tour to Barbados resulting in a 3 week slump in posting.

July
Once I was back and in the swing of things again it was in this month that my bestie Jess and I went on the first book-hauling Road Trip of Awesome to see our friend Ellie at her super-cool bookshop in the Peak District.

August
A pretty good month since not only did Jess and I go on *another* Roadtrip the day when Mockingjay came out but I also went to London for a few days with my boyfriend which was fantastic!

September
Ok start to the month but after I moved back to University I was without internet for two weeks so not a whole lot happened.

October
Did my Favourites Fortnight feature that ended up lasting a week. I turned 20 *eep* and my second year of university officially began.

November
The month when everything went tits up. I started the month in the most stressful way possible by trying to doing NanoWrimo, by halfway through the month I quit and tried to salvage my fast-diminishing enthusiasm for my Uni course. But just before the end of November I made the decision to drop out of Uni and had to start the procedure of withdrawing. It was a very stressful time for me and my family since there had been 3 deaths in my extended family in the space of a week or two on top of my problems. But on the bright side I got to read Last Sacrifice two-three weeks earlier than everyone else :P

December
I came home and had to start the incredibly soul-munching task of finding a job and applying to a new course to start in September 2011. In the run-up to Christmas there was quite a worry about my Grandad who was in and out of hospital with pneumonia, thankfully he was able to be home before Christmas Day. After getting a fab load of presents the week between Christmas & New Year brought me closer to  a job that I really want *keeps fingers crossed* so hopefully in the next few days I'll hear more about that.

And What now... ? What does 2011 have in store for me? I just hope it's not too bad...

But anyway back to what happened on the blog in December
Books Read
191. Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty
192. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
193. Numbers by Rachel Ward
194. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
195. Frostbite by Richelle Mead
196. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
197. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
198. Still Sucks to be Me by Kimberly Pauley
199. Sweethearts by Sarah Zarr
200. Persuasion by Jane Austen 
201. Who's Afraid of Jane Austen? by Henry Hitchings
202. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
203. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
204. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
205. Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty
206. Plan B by Jenny O'Connell
207. Entangled by Cat Clarke
208. Shift by Rachel Vincent
209. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
210. Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti 


20 Books Read which isn't too shabby, out of those I think my favourite book was Entangled by Cat Clarke, I'll be posting a review in the next week since it's official release date is the 6th of January. For a complete list of favourites from 2010 keep an eye out for another post I'll be doing shortly.


Books Reviewed
Definitely was a crap month for reviews - I did only two *facepalm*
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Still Sucks to be Me by Kimberly Pauley
Bizarrely they were both Vampire books 


Apart from a couple of reading challenges I joined for next year and my Blogging Resolutions post there was not a lot of activity on the blog in December so I do apologise.  


Overall 2010 was a mixed year, there were highs (mostly in the summer) and the really big lows have been in the last two months so I saw out the year in rather gloomy mindset - I don't quite know where I'm going at the moment and my future is kinda up in the air. But I want to try and land on my feet and hit the ground running because the only place I want this blog to go is up and I know you guys will help me get there. 


In the next week or so Jess and I will be re-launching our jointly hosted Cover Loving Feature - Covers so Lovely we'd Lick them! if you had been wondering where it went, when Jess's computer went kaput towards the end of November I held off posting my cover choices until she got it working again. Now in the New Year we both have working computers and shall endeavour to bring the feature back to life again!


So thank you lovely folk for sticking with me through all these months and I am gonna do my best to continue posting content that you want to read and really get better at posting reviews consistently since there's no point being a book blogger if you're not talking about books.


Buckets of Hugs and Happy New Year!!
LadyV

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