TBR Feature #56

Wednesday, 31 May 2017

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

It by Stephen King

Monday, 29 May 2017

To the children, the town was their whole world. To the adults, knowing better, Derry, Maine was just their home town: familiar, well-ordered for the most part. A good place to live.

It was the children who saw - and felt - what made Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurked, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. Sometimes IT reached up, seizing, tearing, killing...

The adults, knowing better, knew nothing.

Time passed and the children grew up, moved away. The horror of IT was deep-buried, wrapped in forgetfulness. Until they were called back, once more to confront IT as it stirred and coiled in the sullen depths of their memories, reaching up again to make their past nightmares a terrible present reality.

Favourite Genres

Friday, 26 May 2017

For the longest time I've answered 'fantasy' whenever someone asked me what my favourite genre of book is. Now, however, I've started to doubt whether this is true or not...

TBR Feature #55

Wednesday, 24 May 2017

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Monday, 22 May 2017

Fifteen-year-old Frankie Landau-Banks has grown up a lot over the summer. She's no longer daddy's little girl - and almost immediately after starting the new semester at her highly prestigious school, she bags goofy-but-gorgeous Matthew Livingston as her boyfriend. They get along great but then Frankie discovers that Matthew is a member of a boys-only secret society that specialise in 'hilarious' pranks. Which hardly seems fair... especially when Frankie knows she's smarter than any of its members. And to prove this, she's going to teach them a lesson.

Impersonating lead member Alpha by using a fake email account is surprisingly easy, and soon Frankie is setting the boys up with all sorts of ridiculous schemes and sending them on wild goose chase after wild goose chase. Alpha's not prepared to lose face and admit it's not him sending the emails - but the fun can't last forever, and soon Frankie will have to choose between what she think she wants, and the reputation she deserves.

Recommendations: Little Black Classics

Friday, 19 May 2017

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
If you're looking for some creepy tales, look no further than this short story collection. At first glance, they may seem simple, but rest assured that you're in for a treat with these classic ghost stories. as they'll stay with you long after you've closed the book. 

The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell
Another Victorian ghost story that perfectly captures the era and will send a shiver down your spine. Let yourself be transported back to the 19th century with this meandering tale of uncertainty and haunted houses.

The Dolphins, the Whales, and the Gudgeon by Aesop
Or, if you need something lighthearted, give this collection of fables a go. A bit of fun, yet also lessons in their own right, Aesop's fables never fail to amuse and provide moments of levity after such dark tales.

TBR Feature #54

Wednesday, 17 May 2017

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

Monday, 15 May 2017

Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans.

When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.

Exams and Anxiety

Friday, 12 May 2017

It's that time of the year again where students all across the globe are prone to burst into tears at the slightest glimpse of a calendar and the reminder of how unprepared they are. That's right: it's exam season.

TBR Feature #53

Wednesday, 10 May 2017

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

Talon by Julie Kagawa

Kids of Appetite by David Arnold

Monday, 8 May 2017

In the Hackensack Police Department, Vic Benucci and his friend Mad are explaining how they found themselves wrapped up in a grisly murder. But in order to tell that story, they have to go way back...

It all started when Vic's dad died. Vic's dad was his best friend, and even now, two years later, he can't bring himself to touch the Untouchable Urn of Oblivion that sits in his front hall. But one cold December day, Vic falls in with an alluring band of kids that wander his New Jersey neighbourhood, including Mad, the girl who changes everything. Along with his newfound friendships comes the courage to open his father's urn, the discovery of the message inside, and the epic journey it sparks.

Why Legend Wasn't Quite My Champion

Friday, 5 May 2017

Marie Lu knows how to write action scenes that hold your attention, I'll say that much. But just how good is her Legend trilogy?

TBR Feature #52

Wednesday, 3 May 2017

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

Tithe by Holly Black

Bedlam by Nick Spencer

Monday, 1 May 2017


Fillmore Press was once Madder Red, a homicidal maniac and criminal overlord who ruled the city of Bedlam. Now he's been cured of his mania, and says he wants to help protect the place he once terrorized -- but can he be trusted?
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