Charity Shop Book Haul Part One

Hey guys!

I have had a whale of a time with finding great bargains at charity shops recently...  most of the books have been on my wish list for a while and I managed to get them for around £1.00...  BRILLIANT!!!!  So here we go.....







Best Wishes

Debs

Book Review - The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright

Number of Pages - 288

Publisher - Berkeley Trade

My Review - 9 out of 10


Their story begins with one letter on their wedding night, a letter from the groom, promising to write his bride every week—for as long they both shall live.

Thirty-nine years later, Jack and Laurel Cooper die in each other’s arms. And when their grown children return to the family B&B to arrange the funeral, they discover thousands of letters.

The letters they read tell of surprising joys and sorrows. They also hint at a shocking family secret—and ultimately force the children to confront a life-changing moment of truth…



Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Number of Pages - 222

Publisher - Soho

My Review - 10 out of 10

In 1910, the mystery novelist Gaston Leroux, working from scraps of history, theatrical lore, and his own fertile imagination, created a masterpiece in Le fantôme de l'opéra, the story of a disfigured composer who lives in the labyrinthine depths of the Paris Opera. After the breathtaking debut of Christine Daaé, the whispers of an Opera ghost seem to become reality as the young singer vanishes. As the Phantom strikes again and again, targeting foes from a jealous diva to a romantic rival, Leroux spins a thriller of obsession and violence with, at its center, a tormented murderer who awakens our deepest fears and sympathies. The inspiration for Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-running musical, Leroux's novel is still more riveting than anything Broadway could produce.





Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff

Number of Pages - 112

Publisher - Penguin


My Review - 9 out of 10


A dramatization of the American Helene Hanff's 20-year correspondence with a London antiquarian bookshop. 



Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Dash and Lilys Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan

Number of Pages : 272

Publisher :  Knopf Books for Young Readers


“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.





Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Number of Pages : 272

Publisher :Speak

My Review :  9 out of 10


In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time. 



Best wishes

Debs

Book Haul - 23rd March 2011

What books do you feel you missed out on?

What are your book confessions?

My Budget and How I Choose Books

The Great Electronic -v- Debate....

Hey guys,

Some of you may know that I also have a YouTube Channel and I saw a fantastic topic video the other day that I decided to give a go to and would like to share this with you guys.....   



I would love to hear what your thoughts are....

Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Hilserpent Academy (Part one) by Richard Denny

Owen Davinforth has been expelled from Hillserpent Academy for the last eight months & now he is permitted to return. But things have changed at the academy & not for the good, there's even a dark force working it's way into Owen's life and a new guy that Owen is falling for. Owen returns un-welcomed and shunned in most area's of the school and he also finds that a few students have gone missing... He doesn't have much time to figure it all out & stop whatever is after him before he comes face to face with a power stronger than anything he's ever known. What lies behind these gates? You will soon know.

My Review - 10 out of 10






Best wishes

Debs 

 

Book Review - Beastly by Alex Flinn

Number of Pages - 336

Publisher - Harper Teen

My review - 10 out of 10

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

I absolutely adored this book...  I liked the different style of 'chat room exerpts' it had in it which featered a mermaid and a frog and another creature, whch I thought was really funny...  This book really swept me away iin a way that I was not expecting.... I am really looking forward to the movie which comes out soon and hope that the story is similar to the book....

For a more detailed review, please see below



Best wishes

Debs

Recommendations.....

Hey guys,

I am in the process of sorting out my bookshelves and I thought it would be fun to go through my read bookshelf and make some recommendations on books that I have read which you may like. . I hope you enjoy....









I would love to read/see what you would recommend?  

Best wishes

Debs

Book Hauls.....

Hey guys!

Well I have had quite a busy booky time this past week..  I made an order with Amazon a while ago and the books seem to be coming in dribs and drabs.....  Below are a couple of videos I have made for the hauls that I have got this past week....  I hope you enjoy....











Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Jinx by Meg Cabot

Number of Pages - 288

Publisher - Harper Teen

My review - 10 out of 10

It's not easy being Jinx. 

Jean Honeychurch hates her boring name (not Jean Marie, or Jeanette, just . . . Jean). 

What's worse? Her all-too-appropriate nickname, Jinx. Misfortune seems to follow her everywhere she goes—even to New York City, where Jinx has moved to get away from the huge mess she caused in her small hometown. Her aunt and uncle welcome her to their Manhattan town house, but her beautiful cousin Tory isn't so thrilled. . . . 

In fact, Tory is hiding a dangerous secret—one that could put them all in danger. Soon Jinx realizes it isn't just bad luck she's been running from . . . and that the curse she has lived under since the day she was born may be the only thing that can save her life. 



Best wishes


Debs

Book Review - The Other Hand (Little Bee) by Chris Cleave

Number of Pages - 378

Publisher - Hodder & Stouton -Sceptre

My Review - 10 out of 10

We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific. The story starts there, but the book doesn't. And it's what happens afterwards that is most important. Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds. 



Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Raising Demons (Demonglass) by Rachel Hawkins (may contain spoilers)

Number of Pages - 368

Publisher - Simon & Schuster


My Review - 10 out of 10

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Acher to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?



Best wishes

Debs 

Book Haul/In My Mailbox for this weekend 5th and 6th March 2011

Book Review - Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Number of Pages - 336

Publisher -  HarperCollins

My review - 10 out of 10


The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey. 

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life. 

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.
 
The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

WOW!  I love love love this series and this book...  I loved the way the viewpoint in this final book changed to different people at different times giving you many angles to watch the story from...  I liked the way the story unfolded and what I hoped would happen did happen with a few surprises spashed in as well..

For a more detailed review, please see below:



Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Number of Pages - 368

Publisher -  HarperCollins

My Review - 10 out of 10

Hunger for nourishment. Hunger for touch. Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers. Those same cravings also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies—including Devlin, the assassin who is brother to the faeries' High Queen. Ani and Devlin are drawn together, but as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

As with all the other books in the Wicked Lovely series, I absolutely loved this book.  Yet again, it threw me by changing the view point and making me see this world from a whole new perspective and see more about another character, this time Ani who I don't remember reading much about in the books before this one...  Such a great book....

For a more detailed review, please see below



Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Number of Pages - 448 

Publsiher - HarperCollins

My Review - 10 out of 10 

Seth wants to be with Aislinn forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen. 

Keenan stole Aislinn's mortality to make her a monarch. Now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined. 

In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and to each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos



I am absolutely loving this series and I would have to say that this is by far the best series I have ever read (apart from the Pretty Little Liars series).  I loved that this book completely surprised me in the viewpoint and the way the world continues where it left off from the last book and following the story of Seth I thought was brilliant...  This is a great series..

For a more detailed review, please see below



Best wishes

Debs
 

Book Review - Why do Men Have Nipples by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg

Number of pages - 224

Publisher -Orion

My Review - 10 out of 10


You know how it is... you're at a party, you've had a drink or two, and then someone introduces you to a friend. He's a doctor. And it seems like the perfect time to ask all those strange questions you've always wondered about, but never had the courage to ask: Can poppy seeds make you test positive for heroin? What are goosebumps? Why does asparagus make your wee smell? Why do old people get hairy ears? Is it possible to lose your contact lenses inside your head forever? Why do some people have an "outie" belly button and some people an "innie"? Does warm milk really help you sleep? Is it actually possible to get scared to death? This book gives the answer to these and many more questions - pretty much everything you've ever wanted to know - but never had enough Dutch courage to ask! 

I loved this book.  It was so funny and yet so true at the same time.  A lot of the questions in this book I have definately wondered about at some point or another and it is so refreshing to actually get the answers for them!  This is such a great book and I really did learn a lot with this one....

For a more detailed review, please see below



Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Is it me or is Everything ****? by Alan McArthur and Steve Lowe

Is It Just Me or Is Everything Shit?: Insanely Annoying Modern ThingsIs It Just Me or Is Everything Shit?: Insanely Annoying Modern Things




Number of pages - 272

Publisher -  Grand Central Publishing

My Review - 0 out of 10


An encyclopedic attack on modern culture so hilariously bitter that it actually becomes uplifting. Based on two runaway UK bestsellers.

If you hate chick lit, Che Guevara merchandise, pop Kabbalah, cosmetic-surgery-gone-wrong-as-tv-programming, DVDs with ads you can't skip, or any of a few hundred other insanely annoying modern things, then this book will finally lend creedence to your frustrations.

Say NOto the awful ideas, terrible people, useless products, and infuriating doublespeak that increasingly dominates our lives. Never before has there been a book so completely full of shit.

Clearly, it isn't just you... 

I really did not enjoy this book I am afraid.  I picked it up hoping that it would be funny and light hearted but, to me, it really wasn't.  Unfortunately, this book was not for me.



Best wishes

Debs

What do you use as a bookmark?

Hey guys! 

This is something that I have always wondered about as I tend to use cheap ones as I am far too worried that if I use a pretty one I will lose it...



I would love to hear what you use?

Best wishes

Debs

Books I Want to Read In March

Hey guys!

I hope you guys have had fantastic weeks and are all ready for the weekend......   Since it is the beginning of March (cannot believe we are now in March already!!!!) I thought I would share with you the books I want to read this month......



I hope you enjoyed my video

Best wishes

Debs