Book Review - The Magic of Finkleton by K C Hilton

Most folks say, "Mother Nature controls the rain". However this is not the case in the village of Finkleton. In the perfect little village of Finkleton, the weather is always perfect. Every farm grows the best, biggest, healthiest crops in the entire world, and everyone is happy. 

Soon after the Finkles inherit their Uncle Harry's shop and move to Finkleton, they discover magical secrets hidden in his shop. One clue at a time, Jack, Lizzy and Robert learn the town's amazing secret. No, Mother Nature is not in charge in Finkleton! 

Ever since Uncle Harry's death, the weather has not been cooperating. Farms are starting to fail. Will the Finkle children be able to solve all the magical mysteries before the village is destroyed? Come along to Finkleton. A very special, magical adventure is about to begin!

My Review:




Best wishes

Debs :-) 

In My Mailbox - 28th August 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren.

So, here are the books I received this week.....




Best wishes

Debs :-)

Book Review - Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...
Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend. 

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed. 

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. 

Approx. Release Date - 30th August 2011

My Review




Best wishes

Debs :-)

Waiting on Wednesday: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

 
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.


This week I am featuring The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore. Although this book came out yesterday, I thought it would be worth a mention on my first ever Waiting on Wednesday meme post. I very much enjoyed I Am Number Four (both the movie and the book were amazing) and I am very much looking forward to getting stuck into the second in the series….

So more about the book….


Release Date: 23^rd August 2011 


*** SPOILER ALERT ***


The below blurb may give away spoilers from the first book in the series, I Am Number Four.


 
I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.


 

 
Best wishes


 
Debra's Book Cafe


 

Book Haul - 20th August 2011

How long does it take you to finish a book?

I have been asked this question a lot recently so I thought I would sit down and write a little article about it. How long it takes me to read a book is like saying how long is a piece of string. It depends on many factors:

• size of book;
  
• whether I am 'into' the book or not; and
  
• what mood I am in on that particular day.
  

Let's take, for example, a book that I have recently been reading, which is Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. This is quite a long book at about 450 pages and the font is quite small. I tend to read anywhere up to about 50 pages a day; Mondays to Fridays when I am working I read in the evenings until I am near falling asleep and at the weekends it really does depend on whether it is a weekend doing activities or a weekend of just lazing around reading. If it is a weekend of just lazing around, I can easily get through a book a day (depending on the size and complexity of the book).

As to whether I am a fast reader, which also depends on the type of book I am reading. If it is an easy to read YA fiction book then I can probably wiz through it but still enjoy it and take in all the goodness of the story. If it is a slightly more detailed story (for example, Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult) I will tend to slow down and absorb all the complexities of the story and really enjoy and absorb the wonderfulness of the story.

Best wishes

Debs

Book Haul - 14th August 2011

Book Review - Witchlander by Lena Coakley

High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.


It’s all a fake.


At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?


But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—


Are about him.

Anticipated release at the end of August 2011
My review - 10 out of 10  



Best wishes

Debs 

In my E-Mailbox - 10th August 2011

In my E-Mailbox - 9th August 2011 Part 3

In my E-Mailbox - 9th August 2011 Part 2

In my E-Mailbox - 9th August 2011

Best wishes

Debs :-)

Book Review - Clean by Amy Reed

Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They're addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. And they certainly don’t want to share their darkest secrets and most desperate fears with a room of strangers. But they'll all have to deal with themselves and one another if they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, there's nowhere to go but down, down, down.

My Review:  10 out of 10




Best wishes  

Debs 

Book Haul - 22nd July 2011

In My E-Mailbox - 17th July 2011

Book Review - Witch by Barbara Michaels

Series Review - Touch Series (books 1 and 2) by Laurie Faira Stolarz

Series Review - The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review - Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

 

Book Review - Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Do you like when a cover changes when it is released on paperback?

 

I'm a paperback girl at heart. That is not to say that I won't pick up a hard back book once in a while but my true love is the paperback being easy to hold and turn the pages and does not take up too much room on my ever filling bookshelves.

Every year, there are always books I am eagerly anticipating, whether they are from authors that I know bring out books each year or from new authors from which I have heard a lot of great stuff about their work so far. To come out first is the hardback with its beautiful cover and different aspects to enjoy about it. Sometimes I can be tempted to purchase the hardback but only usually if I am absolutely desperate to read the book that very instant. Most of the time, however, I tend to wait for the paperback version to come out, which can take months. It does not always happen but when the paperback version comes out, it has a completely different cover from the hardback, sometimes its better and sometimes it's not as good as the hard back.

There's also the other subject of the change in covers from paperback versions. A classic example of this would be I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. I don't think I can count how many cover versions of that book I have seen. I don't think they can make up their minds about what cover they want to use! I just hope that when they bring out the second book in the series, it has the same cover as the one I purchased. It's pot luck, I guess!

So, I was just wondering if any of you guys had any feelings about the topic? I would love to hear what you guys thing….

Best wishes

Debs

Books I Want to Read in July

June Book Wrap Up

Book Review - Paper Towns by John Green

Book Review - Keys to the Repository by Melissa da la Cruz

Series Book Review - Blue Bloods Series by Melissa da la Cruz

Book Haul for 2nd July 2011

Charity Shop and Library Sale Book Haul

Book Haul for 26th June 2011

Book Haul for 23rd June 2011

My June To Be Read Pile

End of May Wrap Up

Book Review - Do cats always land on their feet by Marty Becker, Gina Spadafori

Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Looking for Alaska by John Green

Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Brand New Friend by Mike Gayle

 

Best wishes

Debs

Book Hauls

Hi guys,

So sorry my blog has been MIA for a little bit, I had tried a new template but it seemed to mess it up completely so I decided to take it away to sort it out a bit.... 

So, here are the books that I have purchased recently: -










Best wishes

Debs

The Library

For me, there will always be a special place in my soul for the Library. That is where I first truly discovered books. When I was a kid, about 11 or 12 years old, I used to live in a small village that had a small but fantastic Library located in the centre. It was my special place that I used to go every Saturday morning without fail. I was the type of kid who could fill hours of time alone reading or writing. Don't get me wrong, I had friends but when it came to the summer holiday those friends were either away visiting relatives for long periods of time, going abroad or just lived too far away. Yes, I did get a little lonely at times but one trip down to the local Library changed that.

It was like a ritual that I had to do otherwise my whole weekend was ruined! So, I wandered down and not only did I look for books to read and absorb but I also met some very friendly people who also lived in the village that I would have a chat with, recommend books and look for books etc. There were also reading competitions that I used to take part in where you had to read a certain amount of books for a certain amount of time. I competed in that until I was alas too old to continue. In those days where I could not afford to go to the local book store and buy books, the Library was a treasure.

Now that I am working and earning my own money, I have to say that I do prefer to buy my books rather than loan them as them I have all the time in the world to read them and if I don't want to keep them I can give them away to charity or to someone else etc. But I have to say that the Library was there for me when I needed it the most and the very fact that it was a free haven for all who enjoyed books and still is to this day is something we should all be proud of. For those who do not enjoy reading, you can also rent DVDs and music and maybe other things that I am not sure of because it has been a long time since I visited a Library.... I believe in some libraries you can surf the net as well, so it is good for people who cannot afford to have the internet at home.

Let's not forget that as well as the books, DVDs, music etc, the Library is also a great place to go and meet people who share a similar interest. There have been so many occasions when I used to visit the Library where I would be looking at a book and another person would come along and say that they have read it and tell me about it which ends up in a full blown conversation about other books and other interests...

The Library, for me, will always be a very beautiful place that welcomes all who steps through its entrance.

Best wishes

 

Book Review - Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Number of Pages :  416

Publisher:   Razorbill

My Review:  10 out of 10

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming. 

Once again, I have picked a book that took me straight out of my reading comfort zone and I am glad I did.  I had heard a lot about this book before I decided to pick it up.  I was instantly hooked from the very first page and loved the way the characters interacted and the way the 'world' was developed.

I did not realise that this was going to be part of a series when I picked it up so I am very interested to know what happens next.....

For a more detailed review, please see below:


Best wishes

Debs

Book Review - Dancing Jax by Robin Jarvis

Number of Pages :  576

Publisher:  Harper Collins

My Review:  10 out of 10

A brilliant supernatural thriller with a modern twist, and a triumphant return from one of Britain's best-loved writers. At the end of a track, on the outskirts of an ordinary coastal town, lies a dilapidated house. Once, a group of amateur ghost hunters spent the night there. Two of them don't like to speak about the experience. The third can't speak about it. He went into the basement, you see, and afterwards he screamed so hard and so long he tore his vocal cords. Now, a group of teenagers have decided to hang out in the old haunted house. 

Dismissing the fears of the others, their leader Jezza goes down into the basement! and comes back up with a children's book, full of strange and colourful tales of a playing-card world, a fairytale world, full of Jacks, Queens and Kings, unicorns and wolves. But the book is no fairytale. Written by Austerly Fellows, a mysterious turn-of-the-century occultist, it just might be the gateway to something terrifying!and awfully final. As the children and teenagers of the town are swept up by its terrible power, swept into its seductive world, something has begun that could usher in hell on earth. 

Soon, the only people standing in its way are a young boy with a sci-fi obsession, and his dad -- an unassuming maths teacher called Martin! 

I enjoyed this book so much more than I was expecting.  I went into reading this book with an open mind because it sounded so very different from what I would usually read but it was fantastic.  The writing was well done and the plot was brilliant.  Such an amazing book, I really did not want to put it down.

For a more detailed review, please see below:


Best wishes

Debs

Book Haul - 21st May 2011

Hi guys!

So here is my book haul for this week..:



       

Best wishes

Debs :-)