Hello! Welcome to Friday! This means it is time for the Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday!

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy For Books. The question asked this week is:

Do you judge a book by its cover?

Sometimes. If a cover is a bit plain I can be put off. I am definitely attracted by covers, and will often pick up books because I think the cover is pretty! If I want to read the book before I see the cover I won’t be put off, but yeah sometimes a dull cover or a picture I don’t like will stop me picking up a book.

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Every week a blog is featured and this week it is:

Candace: http://candacesreadingblog.blogspot.com

The question asked is:

My question for you guys, what is your favorite brick and mortar bookstore?

Probably Waterstones. The one in Brighton is over four floors and I love it! They usually have a three for two offer on as well, which tempts me. Sadly I can’t afford many books so I end up buying them from Amazon Marketplace, getting them as review books or taking them out of the library.

Thank you for stopping by and please do leave a comment!

Waiting on Wednesday – or WoW – is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The book I am waiting for is:

Terry Pratchett: I Shall Wear Midnight

Synopsis:

A man with no eyes. No eyes at all. Two tunnels in his head …It’s not easy being a witch, and it’s certainly not all whizzing about on broomsticks, but Tiffany Aching – teen witch – is doing her best. Until something evil wakes up, something that stirs up all the old stories about nasty old witches, so that just wearing a pointy hat suddenly seems a very bad idea. Worse still, this evil ghost from the past is hunting down one witch in particular. He’s hunting for Tiffany. Andhe’s found her…A fabulous Discworld title filled with witches and magic and told in the inimitable Terry Pratchett style, “I Shall Wear Midnight” is the fourth Discworld title to feature Tiffany and her tiny, fightin’, boozin’ pictsie friends, the Nac Mac Feegle (aka The Wee Free Men).

Released: October 2010

I love the Discworld series and cannot wait for the next one to be released!

Details taken from amazon.co.uk

Addition: Borrowed hard back

Genre: Love and Fantasy

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Edinburgh, 1874: Little Jack is born with a frozen heart and immediately undergoes a life-saving operation — the implantation of a cuckoo-clock in his chest. From then on his days all begin with a wind-up, in this dark, tender fairy tale spiced with devilish humour.

I borrowed this book as my friend gave it a really good review, and I am glad I did. the cover is gorgeous and definitely helped attract me to the book, but it was the story line and the delicious use of language which kept me gripped.

The story is about Little Jack. He is born with a frozen heart, so Dr. Madeleine fits him with a wind-up cuckoo-clock to keep his heart going. As he grows up and is put up for adoption it quickly becomes clear that Little Jack’s ticking is putting off potential parents so Madeleine chooses to keep him and bring him up herself. All is going well until Little Jack breaks a vital rule: he falls in love. This causes bullying at school, and an accident that sees him fleeing from Edinburgh. He follows his heart and travels across Europe to find Miss Acacia, the girl he loves. On his travels he learns about the pain love and jealous can cause and ultimately sees his life changing forever.

I found the beginning of this book slow, but it soon picked up! The language is just beautiful. It is so descriptive and inviting. My favourite quote from the book is:

“We love each other like two matches in the dark. We don’t talk, we just catch fire instead. Our kisses are an inferno as an earthquake registers across my entire body, all one metre sixty-six and a half centimetres of it. My heart escapes its prison. It flies away through the arteries, settling in my head. My heart is in every muscle, all the way through to my fingertips. A savage sun, everywhere. It’s a romantic disease with reddish glints.”

The love in this book is passionate and compelling, but ultimately this is a sad story. Jealousy and mistrust floats through this book and destroys all that is beautiful. The book has a sombre end but that does not spoil it at all. It is not what you would expect, which makes a nice change.

I loved Little Jack. I loved the way he followed his heart, even to the point of destruction. I felt for him as he was bullied by Tom, and how he struggled with a whole range of emotions. I felt so much empathy for him, and loved the people he surrounded himself with, including Melies, Anna and Luna. They support him and care for him like family.

The imagination in this book is great; from Madeleine and her medical inventions to the language and descriptions Malzieu uses. It is amazing that this is a translation – I didn’t notice at all. Aside from the slow beginning I loved everything about this book. At times my heart ached and at other times I enjoyed the humour in the book. This is a short book, small and sweet, and so readable. One I got to about page 60 I whizzed through the story and could not put the book down. I highly recommend this novel

Translator: Sarah Ardizzone

At the end of August here I am with this challenge:

1. Nicholas Sparks: The Last Song
2. Nicholas Sparks: The Wedding
3. Meg Cabot: Size 12 is Not Fat
4. Alice Hoffman: Incantation
5. Sarah Dessen: Lock and Key
6. Kate Harrison: Old School Ties
7. Debbie Macomber: 44 Cranberry Point
8. Judy Blume: Forever
9. Rachel Hore: The Memory Garden
10. Elizabeth Noble: The Girl Next Door
11. Debbie Macomber: 50 Harbour Street
12. Allison van Diepen: The Oracle of Dating
13. Sarah Dessen: Along For The Ride
14. Francine Rivers: Redeeming Love
15. Sarah Dessen: Last Chance
16. Jane Green: Second Chance
17. Jandy Nelson: The Sky is Everywhere
18. Sarah Dessen: That Summer
19. Julie Kagawa: The Iron King
20. Julie Kagawa: The Winter Passage
21. Dorothy Koomson: Goodnight, Beautiful
22. Catherine Chisnell: Descending
23. Julie Kagawa: The Iron Daughter

The aim of this challenge was to read 20 books between 1st July and 30th August. I did really well:

1. Debbie Macomber: 50 Harbour Street
2. Melanie Ray: The Great Destruction Book 1
3. Terry Pratchett: Going Postal
4. Arthur Conan Doyle: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
5. Lewis Carroll: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
6. Nick Hornby: About a Boy
7. Allison van Diepen: The Oracle of Dating
8. James Patterson: Maximum Ride #1: The Angel Experiment
9. Sarah Dessen: Along For The Ride
10. L. K. Madisan: The Mermaid’s Mirror
11. Francine Rivers: Redeeming Love
12. Andrew Oberg: Randolph’s One Bedroom
13. Stephen Chobsky: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
14. Sarah Dessen: Last Chance
15. John Connolly: The Book of Lost Things
16. Lyn Andrews: A Daughter’s Journey
17. Jane Green: Second Chance
18. Jandy Nelson: The Sky is Everywhere
19. Sarah Dessen: That Summer
20. Julie Kagawa: The Iron King
21. Mary Julia Young: A Summer at Brighton
22. Julie Kagawa: The Winter Passage
23. H. M. Moriarty: Brighton in an Uproar
24. Sebastian Fitzek: Therapy
25. Dorothy Koomson: Goodnight, Beautiful
26. Jane Eagland: Wildthorn
27. Catherine Chisnell: Descending
28. Julie Kagawa: The Iron Daughter
29. Julie Crabtree: The Crepe Makers’ Bond
30. Max Lucado: A Cast of Characters

The reviews I have written have been linked above in the title!

So, 10 more than I thought I would manage, I am pleased!

Addition: review paperback

Rating: 4/5

Genre: Christian Theology

Synopsis:

Some of the most powerful stories from the Bible will come alive for today’s readers through these inspiring selections from the writings of Max Lucado. Max provides a compelling look at the most high-impact moments in the biblical narrative, drawn from his previous 20+ years of writing.

At the end of each chapter will be study guide questions so the reader can go deeper into this scripture.

Extraordinary stories are told about the following characters:

Mary, Peter, Matthew, Joseph, Nicodemus, Woman at the Well, David, Esther, Job, The Samaritan Woman, John, Rich Young Man.

And more

I received this book from BookSneeze, and am glad I did. A long review is not needed for this book, as instead of one long story, Max Lucado looks at a range of different people from the Bible. Every chapter and point Lucado makes he backs up with Bible verses. It is clear from this book that he is man who knows his Bible well.

The first thing to notice is the beautiful cover. Every time I saw it I was drawn to the book. It is a gorgeous picture, full of colour and it just compelled me to read this book. Another great feature of this book is the short chapters. When I read theology books I worry that the chapters will be long and my concentration lost. This did not happen with Cast of Characters. Every chapter is only a few pages long. Lucado gets straight to the point and uses language which is simple and clear. He retells the story with modern twists, so we can see how they can be relevant to us today, and draws out what God is telling us. I found this helpful and made the book more readable.

There is not one chapter that sticks out more than the rest; all were helpful. I read this book with a notepad and Bible next to me, so I could check out the verses Lucado uses and note down what he teaches us. This was a great book that taught me a lot. I have already recommended this book to others, and it is a book I will keep and read again. Even if you aren’t a Christian and don’t fancy theology, this is a good book to dip into; it is well worth reading for everyone.

I love using pictures of people reading so I thought I would add a collection of great pictures I have found:

And my favourite at the moment:

I see myself as the red head in the middle – my hair colour, I wear glasses that look like that, and I always have a cup of tea to hand!

There are plenty of pictures out there, this is just a selection. Clicking on the pictures will take you to the sites they have come from. I love these, and can’t wait to find more!

This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney. I handed in my dissertation on Tuesday, yay! Now we wait until November to see if I have passed my Masters degree. It has been a mixed week; I loved having my husband at home and spending time with him but we did get some really sad family news. I only managed to get two books finished, however I did reach my target of 100 books read in 2010!

Well this week I start my new job! I’ll be working for the church I attend: Church of Christ the King, Brighton, for a year. It will be six days a week, so I’m going from not working to working full time in one big leap! It will be a shock to the system I think! It does mean that reading and blogging will be limited but it won’t stop me completely.

Now, down to business:

Books Read:

• The Crepe Makers’ Bond by Julie Crabtree
• Cast of Characters by Max Lucado

Reviews:

• Descending by Catherine Chisnell
• The Truth About Love by Josephine Hart
• The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
• Winter’s Passage by Julie Kagawa

Put Down:

• The Truth About Love by Josephine Hart

Currently Reading:

• Rooms by James L. Rubart – this is a review book and I am really enjoying it.
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – this is a library book and won’t take me long to finish it
• Godstories by Andrew Wilson – I have been reading this slowly and taking notes; it is a super Christian book
• Thud! by Terry Pratchett – this is an audiobook, so I only get a chance to listen when the husband isn’t around!
• The Boy With the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu – this book is good, it is just taking longer to read than I thought it would

Someone asked last week how I manage to read so much at once. I don’t know, I just love having more than one book on the go, so I always have something to suit my mood!

This Week:

As ever, to get books finished! Check out my IMM to see what I took out to of the library. Do leave a comment!

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. I haven’t had much arrive into my home this week, just three books from the library:

• The Bridesmaid’s Pact by Julia Williams
• Dear John by Nicholas Sparks – I had taken this out a few weeks ago but didn’t have time to read it so took it back – I didn’t want to stop others from reading it; but now I have time I have taken it out again
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimon

Not many, but I am pleased with my choices What did you get? Do leave me a comment!

Addition: Review e-book

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis:

Emily is a lonely, disillusioned, teaching assistant at a college of Further Education. Jamie is a neglected, unpredictable student. Trapped together in a falling lift, wherever will this lead? Told from Emily’s point of view, this story explores the ambiguity of relationships between staff and students, and reflects on who is actually in control.

I saw this book advertised on a blog site and thought I would check it out. I got it as a review book from Smashwords but to be honest I wish I had not wasted my time. The story follows Emily, a teaching assistant who also works at a call centre. Due to having two jobs she has not made friends and feels isolated and alone. She does not even think the students appreciate her. She finds herself in the lift, after having handed in her resignation at the college when it breaks down. The other person in the lift is one of the students she helps, Jamie. Unsure as to his feelings towards her, she is shocked when he kisses her as the lift plunges downwards. This then leads onto a full relationship, and for a time he lives with her as his father has kicked him out. But all is not as good as it seems, and she finds herself manipulated by Jamie, embarrassed by the students and intimidated by Jamie’s father. All of which leads to the college finding out what has been going on…

This book had the potential to be really good. Other stories that have involved student-teacher relationships, such as The Ice-Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson and Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller were readable and gripping. This book wasn’t. I found Chisnell’s writing to be amateur – almost as if she wasn’t used to writing a story. The style reminded me of celebrity autobiographies, where they almost seem to list what has happened. There was also  a lot of bad language, which I didn’t like.

I wasn’t really a fan of any of the characters. Emily irritated me – I thought she was a bit needy, always wondering what people thought of her and whining that she had no friends. I thought she could have resolved her problems in another way. I also didn’t think much of Jamie, although he did come across as a stereotypical teenage boy – into alcohol, sex and the like.

The storyline wasn’t all that believable – the kiss in the lift was very cliché and so was the relationship, sneaking around and the worry of being caught. I think the college handled the situation well but I did think Chisnell weakened the story by having Emily resign before the affair started. I did finish this book, but I didn’t think much of it. Other reviews have rated this book highly, but for me, I just didn’t enjoy it at all.