Solitaire Book Launch Party with Alice Oseman!

There ain't no party like a book launch party!

A friend and I went to Alice Oseman's book launch party for her debut novel, Solitaire, this evening, and I had the best time.

It took place at Birmingham Highstreet Waterstones where she talked about her writing process and the books that had inspired her. There was also a book reading, signing and a chance to network and geek out with fellow YA fans. Oh, and there was cake, did I mention cake? (It's not a party if there isn't cake....)
 

That black cake you see in the middle of the table, that's the Solitaire book cover, made out of cake!! I was very impressed to say the least! (Although, we were all too scared to cut it, as it was too pretty to eat.)   It was a great evening, I even met some fellow book bloggers and Hannah Pickersgill, who I've spoken to previously on Twitter, which was a lovely surprise! I took my dear friend Hayley, who is also a complete bookworm, and was looking for something new to read. 
Alice was an absolute joy, she's so honest and likable. Whilst signing our copies we chatted about away like we already knew each other. She'd remembered tweets I'd sent her, and it was just nice to know that she's just as lovely in person as her Twitter profile would have you believe! 


She also had lots of different pens at the signing table, so you could choose which colour you'd like your book to be signed with, which I thought was a really nice touch.

I can't wait to read this coming-of-age story that seems like it will be hilariously funny as well as thought-provoking and heartwarming. But just so you know, it's not a love story! (Expect a review very soon!)

And make sure you follow Alice on Tumblr and Twitter - you won't regret it!


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Ready, Set, Write.

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to write. However, I've never fully felt confident in my abilities to create my own stories, but that, in no way stopped the urge. I've always felt connected to novelists in a way I've never fully understood, and rather than doubt myself, I've decided to actually do something about it!

I've made a commitment to myself to write more. Create my own stories and use language creatively in my spare time is something that I've always wanted to do, but have never gotten into the routine, so with this in mind, I headed down to the shops, and bought myself some supplies!

These three books have already been such a huge help in pushing me into writing. Ready, Steady, Novel! by Chris Baty, Lindsey Grant and Tavia Stewart-Streit (of National Novel Writing Month) is probably my favourite of the three. It leads you through each stage of planning a novel. It's wildly informative and encourages you to complete tasks about character development, plot and settings. 

So far I have already written out a timeline for my main character, created a mood board and written half a dozen scenes. And if you're not feeling very productive, there's a Procrastination Station at the back where you can colour-in great novelists of the past!

642 Things to Write About is also great. It lists so many different interesting topics, which is perfect for when you're struggling with writers block! I've only filled in a couple of the pages so far, but I'm looking forward to using it as a writing prompt.

And the Book Journal is just something fun I picked up from my last visit to Paperchase. (I really shouldn't be allowed to step foot inside that shop!) And each page prompts you to write notes about books that you're currently reading. I think it's going to be a great way to help me keep track, and also a great reference tool when I write my reviews.

I'd love to know if anybody else writes creatively in their free time. How do you keep yourself motivated?  

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Sunathon Round Up

Last week I decided to take part in #Sunathon, hosted by the lovely Emma Louise. I'd originally aimed to complete two books in the reading marathon, and I finished one and half, which I'm quite proud of considering that I had a very busy week! (Apparently, everybody's birthday is in July and August...) 
I managed to complete The Three by Sarah Lotz, which was a great read, perfect for anybody looking for a clever horror. I've also made a considerable dent into this month's book challenge read, The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 
I'm aiming to finish that by Thursday, so I better get a move on! 

#Sunathon: The Three by Sarah Lotz and The Beautiful and Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald

Sunathon is the first readathon that I've taken part in and I can't believe how many people I met on Twitter and how friendly and encouraging everyone was. Even though I didn't complete my goal, I had the best time. I'll definitely be taking part in the next one. 
And speaking of which, there will be another reading marathon in October! You can find out all the details on Emma's latest blog post - I'm excited.
I'd love to know how you found sunathon and what books you read, so get commenting! 

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Review: The Three by Sarah Lotz

The Three by Sarah Lotz*

Black Thursday. The day that will go down in history forever. The day that four planes at different points in the world crashed simultaneously. Miraculously three people survived the devastating accidents - children who appear unharmed.    Conspiracy theories are rift throughout the book and The Three even has a website full of faux-news articles, eye-witnesses and messages boards on their website that can be found here.    The book is structured as a non-fiction account of the after-math of Black Thursday, written by journalist Elspeth Martins. Each chapter is either an interview, account or newspaper article that appeared after the accident.   Once I started reading, I couldn't put this book down. There are so many different characters with conflicting opinions and beliefs that you're left wondering what really happened. You start to piece the story together bit by bit and even come up with your own theories.    Fans of thrillers and horrors will no doubt love this book. I was hooked from the first page!  You can buy The Three from Amazon here.     
*Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me this copy to review

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#Sunathon is here!

Let's make the most of the sunny weather by having a reading marathon in the sun. (I'll keep my fingers crossed for dry weather for my fellow book bloggers in the UK!)
Sunathon, organised by the lovely Emma Louise, (@EmmaIsWriting) is a weeklong marathon where book bloggers around the world will be taking part by reading as many books as they can.
It doesn't matter how much you read, as long as you're making time for your books. It kick starts today, and ends Sunday 27th July. 
If you want to get involved used #sunathon on Twitter. We'll all follow each other and cheer each other on. I'm looking forward to being nosey and seeing what everybody else is reading.
And make sure you keep an eye on Emma's Twitter page, as she'll be running competitions and retweeting participants throughout the week. 
I'm setting aside two books to read this week, The Three by Sarah Lotz and The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Who else is going to get involved? I'd love to know what you're planning to read! 

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The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper Review

The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper

Hello book worms.
I hope you've all been having a lovely week and have something fun planned for the weekend. 
Just a quick update for you today, as some of you might remember, I got asked to review books for GeekTown a little while back, and my first review is now up! So head on over to the article, to read my thoughts on The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper. 
I also finished Lolito by Ben Brooks this week, and I'll be joint reviewing it soon with The Girl in the Moonlight. I won't give too much away about my thoughts just yet, but I will say that I finished it in two days, which is quite the record for me. 
Make sure you let me know what you've all been up to this week, and leave your blog URLs in the comments as I'm always looking for new blogs to read. 

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July Reading Challenge: The Beautiful and Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald

Another day, another dollar book, as the old saying goes. Ahem...
It's that time of month again when I flick to the next page of my Waterstones calendar and decide which book I'm going to be reading this month. 
The book God's have been very generious this month, and I will be reading a novel from one of my favourite authors, F. Scott Fitzgerald!
And if I hadn't been treated enough, this month's quote comes from one of my all time favourite books, The Great Gatsby. But, as much as I'd love to reread that classic, I've decided that I will be reading The Beautiful and Damned instead, Fitzgerald's second novel. 

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fizgerald

I brought this copy a while ago, and haven't gotten around to reading it yet, so I'm really happy I have an excuse to start this. And just look at the cover, so beautiful.
I'd love to know what you're planning to read this month. It's officially summer, so it's time to shamelessly get those beach reads out!  
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Blog Update

Hello my fellow bookworms!
Today's post will be a quick update about the blog and what I've been up to this month. I must admit, June was the quietest time for posts, and that's because I've been rushed off my feet with a little tiny event that I went to... No big deal...
Ahem. Okay, I'm rubbish at playing it cool, I went to Glastonbury!! When I wasn't at work, I spent all of my free time buying new clothes and packing. I had the most amazing time and saw some incredible music that I've been wanting to see live for a while. Ed Sheeran, The 1975 and George Haim were the highlights for me. 

Unfortunately, due to my busy time, last month's reading and blog updates were put on hold. However, I'm going to start scheduling posts, so there will always be a flurry of new bookish content for you all to enjoy this month - so keep your eyes peeled!  

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