Winter Biannual Bibliothon - Days Two & Three

Days Two & Three

Day three is just closing as I write this. I'm hoping to get a bit more reading done before I sleep but that's depending on how long my English essay and Physics revision takes me. Yesterday and today have been ridiculously hectic, what with going back to college and re-adjusting to being permanently exhausted. I'm so glad I read the whole of Paper Towns on Sunday for the sole reason that it's freaking impossible to read great amounts when I'm tired and have so much work. It's looking like I'll be able to finish all four of my chosen books for this bibliothon though, so all is well. Unfortunately I don't have pictures as I haven't had time to take pictures for Instagram but I'll give you a quick summary.

At home I've been reading Half Wild by Sally Green.
Once again, I'm freaking loving it! I missed Nathan and Gabriel so much it's ridiculous. They have potentially my favourite relationship in literature. Unfortunately I haven't been able to take it to college because:
For one, it's signed so I don't want to ruin it;
For two it'd be unbearable heavy.

So, at college I've been reading At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper.
As with every other time I've read this, I'm overinvested in the characters and am terrified of one specific character dying. If you haven't experienced this before with a book, you guys should seriously read this so you can understand the feeling of your heart shaking in trepidation as you open the book for the millionth time. The character isn't even ill but you just know they're going to die and it's destroying you inside. I can't leave it now though; this is a readathon after all! I WILL SUCCEED THIS TIME AROUND!

All in all, I haven't read as much as I'd have liked to since starting college again, but I'm extending my day for another few hours by going to bed at midnight now, so hopefully I'll be able to read a little more.

I hope you're doing well if you're doing this bibliothon as well, and aren't suffering to the extent that I am lol! See you,


Abi Ainley

Winter Biannual Bibliothon - Day One

Afterthought: I've just noticed that both authors I read today are Greens. Damn I wish I'd realised this sooner so I could've dressed in green or something in acknowledgement of this.
Day One

So... Day one is over and I've had a pretty successful reading day, considering I've had to start on my English Lit essay and do a ton of Maths work.

I actually started Paper Towns at half one in the morning when I couldn't sleep...

...but promptly resumed my usual practise of watching Youtube videos way too late. HOWEVER, it did get finished today and I'm really happy about it!

I'm currently just about to start my second book, Half Wild by Sally Green. This is the one I chose for the "reread your favourite book from a series" challenge and I'm relying on it being a quick second time read like Half Bad was. If this isn't quick I'm going to be seriously done haha.

Super excited to reread this!

In conclusion, this day went pretty well but I'm seriously dreading the rest of this week! I start college again tomorrow which means so much homework and potentially not enough time for reading all of this. *expands time itself* I will try though. Here's to reading in every 30 second slot I can find!


Abi Ainley

Winter Biannual Bibliothon - Tag

The Winter Biannual Bibliothon Tag!

As I said in my TBR post, these challenges are for vlogs really, but I wanted to give it a go in written format, so there's going to be bits I can't do however I'll try my best. :D

1. Did you participate in one of the last Bibliothons?
Nope, This is my first serious readathon altogether so I'm super excited!

2. What was your favorite part of last Bibliothon?
I didn't do it so I can't say.

3. What are you most excited about for this Bibliothon?
Getting through a ton of books. The second book I'm going to read, At the Sign of the Sugared Plumb by Mary Hooper, I've had for 5/6 years and started reading a million times but I can never finish bit because I don't want one of the characters to die. This will be the time I will finally finish it! Hopefully. I can't promise anything. The fear of him dying may destroy me once again.

4. Give us a hint for your favorite upcoming challenge video!
If I can find time to do it, I'm so excited to do the "That was in the book DIY". Other than that, the character swap one sounds like something I could get quite creative with. ;)

5. What book are you most excited to read this week?
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum. I'm bricking it. If I can finish it this will potentially be the longest time ever taken for me to finish a book from start to finish! I'm also excited for Half Wild, as usual. I could reread those books eternally and never get bored.

6. What was your favorite & least favorite reading challenge of the past Bibliothons?
Haven't done any of the past ones.

7. What was your favorite & least favorite video challenge of the past Bibliothons?
Can't answer again lol.

8. 45 seconds TBR in alphabetical order - NO CHEATING!
Before:

6.92s later (Quite fast for me. I think the library volunteering's sped me up a bit!):

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum
Half Wild
Messenger of Fear
Paper Towns

9. What is one suggestion you’d have for the next Biannual Bibliothon?
There's a Goodreads book club group that reads separate books to the Biannual Bibliothon throughout the year, but I think it'd be awesome if there was a Goodreads group for discussing the Bibliothon as it runs, or maybe just a section in the book club group for it.

10. Who do you tag?
Anyone reading this and hasn't already done it! I think most people I know are doing this already so I'm just going to leave this open. Haven't done it? You're tagged!

You can find out more about the Winter Biannual Bibliothon video challenges(or blog post challenges if you're me ;D) here (I've just got to add that the hair in this video is on point. Very impressed!)

Until next time(so tomorrow),

Keep reading!

Abi Ainley

Winter Biannual Bibliothon TBR

The Winter Biannual Bibliothon

Quick Note: Unfortunately I won't be reading the group read, which is Soundless by Richelle Mead, this time around as I want to get through the books I've chosen and don't have enough interest in it to warrent me reading it. I'm kinda sad because I'd love to join in with the group discussion at the end, but I just really don't want to read it.

The Biannual Bibliothon is, as it says in the title, a readathon that occurs twice each year, once in the Winter and once in the Summer. This Winter one is running from the 3rd of January to the 9th and there are video challenges to go with it, which I will try to do in written form when possible, but some don't look like they're possible to do over a written blog. There are 7 criteria for books you have to read but you're allowed to double up:
1. Read the group book: Soundless by Richelle Mead 
2. Read a book that's been sitting on your shelf for over a year.
3. Read a book over 300 pages.
4. Read a book from your favorite genre.
5. Reread your favorite book in a series.
6. Read a book based on it's cover. 
7. Read a book that's been recommended to you more than once.
You can find more information on their Youtube channel here: The Biannual Bibliothon

And these are the books I'll be reading over this week-long period:

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum

by Mary Hooper

Fulfils: 1) Read a book that's been on your shelf for over a year.

Messenger of Fear

by Michael Grant

Fulfils: 2) Read a book that's over 300 pages long. 5) Read a book based on the cover.

Half Wild

by Sally Green

Fulfils: 3) Read a book from your favourite genre. 4) Reread your favourite book from a series.

Paper Towns

by John Green

Fulfils: 6) Read a book that's been recommended to you more than once.

Keep reading!

Abi Ainley

2016 and More Reading!

2016 and Even More Reading!

Hello and happy new year! So keen followers - if I still have any of you left that is haha - might have noticed I haven't posted in...say...EONS! But that's about to change. Akin to my usual problem-solving methods:

• I've diagnosed the problem: A lack of things to write about and a lack of time and effort to write those things.
• I've given it some thought and rolled it around my head periodically.
• I've come up with the solution: READATHONS!

Yep, I will be doing readathons and giving you updates here as I go along. I will also be attempting reviews, however I want to try and put them away a bit and branch out into other book-blogging endeavours. I will also be doing Top Ten Tuesdays from now on, starting from next Tuesday. Just as a bit of a look forward, these are the readathons I'll be participating in this January:

• Winter Biannual Bibliothon: 3rd-9th
• #AYEARATHON: 4th-10th
• Then I get a week off! Hopefully I'll have a review to post here :D
• RYBSAT: 19th-25th

Links will be posted in my pre-readathon posts I do for them and my first post, for the Winter Biannual Bibliothon, will be up hopefully on the 2nd of January.

Keep reading!

Abi Ainley

Date With a Rockstar by Sarah Gagnon

I received this book for free via Netgalley however this in no way affects the opinions expressed in this review

Date With a Rockstar

by Sarah Gagnon

Released: 23rd June 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Genre: Romance, Dystopian, YA, Girly
Other books by Sarah Gagnon:
Nil
Goodreads Description:
Monet isn t just another lust-struck teenager trying to win the heart of Rock God Jeremy Bane--she needs the prize money from his new reality show to cure her illness. Monet has Fluxem, a contagious disease that's spread through saliva. It's completely curable if you have enough money, which she and her single mother don't. Now that she's on the show, Monet has to work harder to keep her Fluxem hidden. She only has to keep the secret long enough to woo Jeremy Bane so he picks her as the winner. She doesn't even care about the love part; the prize alone will change her life. But the real Jeremy Bane is nothing like she imagined. Monet finds herself fighting against feelings that make her want to give in to her attraction and Jeremy's attempts for a kiss. The further she goes in the competition, the more impossible it becomes to resist him--and when the producers turn the tables and start digging up dirt on the contestants, Monet fears her secret will be revealed before she's ready and ruin everything. The only way to win Jeremy's heart is to tell him the truth, but confessing her disease could cost her the competition, the prize money, and him.




My Review


I write this at ten to four in the morning, precariously cradling a cup of tea on the sofa arm, inbetween my laptop and the crook of my elbow. Yes, Date With a Rockstar is one of those books. You know? The ones that you desperately try to put down just before midnight because you know you need sleep, but it’s to no avail because you just need to read a little more. So, you read a little more, and after that you’re reading a little more again, and the next thing you know you’re sat in front of Sky Arts at ten to four in the morning, writing a review whilst precariously cradling a cup of tea on the sofa arm, inbetween your laptop and the crook of your elbow.

Just to catch you up, Date With a Rockstar is about a girl named Monet who enters a reality TV show contest called…wait for it…Date With a Rockstar. So basically, she has this disease called Fluxem and it’s going to kill her unless she can get her hands on the $20,000 cure. If she can win Date With a Rockstar, which involves her having to woo the hottie popstar of the time, Jeremy, she’ll get $30,000. Also, I’d like to mention that for some reason this story seems to be set in a future where there’s a crap-load of sci-fi style technology, lots of pollution, and America’s selling all their metal back to China. I know what you’re thinking: “Oh for Christ’s sake… Really Sarah Gagnon? Really?” However, I am pleased to inform you that it surprisingly works and somehow manages to add a hell of a lot of charm. You’ll have to read it to get what I mean.

(Afternote: If you’re feeling put off by the idea of crazed fangirls and worshipped male pop icons, don’t be. I hate this idea as much as (and I’d be willing to bet more than) the next person, however it’s definitely worth the read. Sarah Gagnon writes in a way that makes it bearable and a little less frustrating than you’d expect.)

Now, I’m not quite sure what made this book so compelling. The writing was extremely easy (probably what made it so effortless to read so despicably late on) and the characters weren’t anything greatly special. Sure, Monet (our main gal) was likeable, and Jasmine (our beloved antagonist) was wholly hateable, however I’m not quite sure how I found myself rooting for Monet so much. I was whole-heartedly invested in her success with Jeremy (the lad of the book) and suffered some confusing and unnerving hyper squealing, as well as some tense palpitations of the heart on multiple occasions. I often found myself wondering: “What in hell’s name is happening to me.” Just to explain, this crap doesn’t happen to me with easy-read YA like this. What is going on?!

The world was fabulous, and even though the plot really was rather contemporary-style, Sarah managed to combine the world and the plot in a surprisingly fluid way. The sci-fi-esque technology wasn’t overly shouted about and I really felt as if the world was completely normal. Not sure how you managed it, but well done!

Read this if you like an easy and entertaining read that’s a little peculiar and eccentric whilst remaining a girly YA romance that you’re sure to finish in one or two sittings. It’s great if you’re looking for something that’s not necessarily intellectually stimulating but compels you from start to finish and sucks you into the storyline.

I entered Date With a Rockstar with a hell of a lot of trepidation however I finished it in one sitting. (It wouldn’t let me put it down; it’s the book’s fault.)


Links
Goodreads
Amazon UK
Amazon US


Abi Ainley

Romance by the Book by Jo Victor

I received this book for free via Netgalley however this in no way affects the opinions expressed in this review

Romance by the Book

by Jo Victor

Released: 15th June 2015
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Genre: Romance, LGBT, Mystery
Other books by Jo Victor:
Revenge of the Parson’s Daughter Or The Lass that Loved a Pirate
Goodreads Description:
For a smart woman, Alex is pretty clueless. She wants the truth, but she’s looking in the wrong place. She wants love, but she’s not looking at all. If only Cam didn’t keep disrupting her life, Alex might be able to find some answers. After all, it’s not as if Cam is interested in her. Which is probably a good thing, since Cam is even more infuriating than she is charming—and she’s got plenty of charm. On the other hand, Rosamund, Cam’s ex and Alex’s professional rival, is definitely interested in Alex, but can she be trusted? Alex doesn’t even realize the historic house she’s staying in is haunted. Perhaps a little supernatural help will lead Alex to uncover the secret of a love story hidden for over a century, and to solve the greatest mystery of all—the truth hidden in her own heart.




My Review


(Afterword: I was dying of heat exhaustion as I wrote this. It should not be 32 degrees Celsius in England. Nu-uh. So, if my writing’s a little, well, crappy, then I apologise.)

Mega book hang-over here. I’m not even sure where to start with this review and almost certain I’m going to find it hard to write anything of substance. I shall give it a go though…

Romance by the Book did it right. Well, most of it. Her writing’s amazing: I was miffed when it ended. I could have read about Alex’s daily life for months without getting bored. I especially noticed how much I highlighted in this just because it made me laugh or I thought it was witty. There were plenty of superb and entertaining language choices that never failed to make my smile or even chuckle out loud.

The characters in this book – mainly Alex, Cam, Rosamund and Nicola – were diverse and enjoyable, however I did happen to notice how the entire friendship group was lesbian. Sure, you need a few lesbians to create a complex of relationships, however it took away so much potential realism. It wasn’t that big of a deal; it wasn’t like it was made a big fuss of. In fact, I rather liked how the sexuality wasn’t shouted about like it is in most lgbt novels.

I also loved how I was as interested in Alex’s work into discovering the mystery of Artemisia and Lady Melissa as I was in Alex and Cam’s relationship. It’s not often you get a romance novel where some other part of the plot is equally as – if not more – compelling as the romance. I absolutely loved this!

Most of all, I admired the sex scene, even if it was a relatively small part of the book. It was the longest, most honest and most gutsy lgbt sex scene I’ve read in a long while – and I’ve read a lot of sex scenes. Being a bit of a lgbt sex scene aficionado (no judgements here guys xD), I consider myself able to proclaim this one a masterpiece.

Also, West Yorkshire. Just saying. I was so not expecting to open this book and still be at home. Honestly, I was expecting something either American or European. Not a fictional village based near Ilkley. Props!

This book would be great for people who are after an excellent, enjoyable lgbt read, and also maybe to fans of mystery as Jo Victor does a fairly decent job of that as well. The only thing I can say though, is I wouldn’t recommend this novel for anyone who likes a fast-paced, clearly-defined plot. The actual writing of it is what makes this book so good. Although the plot is still great in my opinion, and quite compelling at multiple parts, it’s nothing next to the artistry of the words.


Links
Goodreads
Amazon UK
Amazon US


Abi Ainley