Jane Austen Challenge

Fan of Jane Austen, Modern Classics or Chick lit? Or do you just want to challenge yourself this year? Challenge yourself with my Jane Austen Challenge!

Book of the Month: March

Every month I pick a book that was my favourite. My favourite book for March was: Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas De Quincy.

2012 Reading Challenge: #2

Keeping track of my progress during my 2012 goodreads reading challenge!

In My Mailbox

My first In My Mailbox post, otherwise known as a Book Haul.

Diary: I'm a Volunteer for The British Lung Foundation!

As of March 2012 I have become a volunteer for The British Lung Foundation :)

Tuesday, 10 January 2012

Win a copy of Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You!


To celebrate the release of JoJo Moyes’ latest novel, Me Before You, Penguin have teamed up with The Biscuiteers and we have 5 copies of Me Before You to giveaway PLUS an exclusive Me Before You biscuit tin.
'I was spellbound by the love of two unlikely people. A real tear inducing romance. Wonderful!' Zailia, Assistant Production Manager, The Biscuiteers
'Jojo Moyes definitely knows the recipe for a first-class novel. Love, tears and laughter, Me Before You is the perfect mixture' Johanna, Ecommerce Assistant, The Biscuiteers
'A modern and truly believable love story, I couldn't put it down' Cassie, Marketing Coordinator
To enter in this lovely giveaway, head over to the Penguin Competition Page and enter your details in the form! Make sure to read the terms and conditions before participating. The competition ends on January 31st!

Woohoo a free book and biscuits! All you need is a nice cup of tea and you're set for a lovely evening! ^^

Sunday, 8 January 2012

Book of the Month: December

Interestingly, according to my Goodreads account I only managed to read and finished during December. Deadlines got the better of me last month, but all is not lost since I can always make up for it this month! 

So what's my book?

Kathleen Morgan's "Child of the Mist (These Highland Hills, #1)"


In the harsh Scottish highlands of 1564, superstitions threaten a truce . . . a traitor plans his attack . . and a new love is born.
An arranged betrothal was never the course Anne MacGregor imagined her life would take. Yet when her father explains that her cooperation is the only hope for peace, Anne sees no other choice. Even one year of commitment to Niall Campbell, after all, would win a long-sought truce between the feuding families.
But as Anne soon discovers, peace is not so easily achieved. Before she even arrives at her new home, rumors about her abound and her safety is threatened. Meanwhile, Niall's ascension as leader of his clan is in jeopardy, as a traitor works to bring about his downfall.
As Niall and Anne begin to see beyond each other's defenses, love takes them by surprise. But will it be enough to defeat their foes? Or will the truce be broken, their lives forfeit, and war return to their beloved land?

The book seems a bit daunting at first considering it is set in Scotland during the 1500s and is not written in modern day English. But I found myself able to quickly adapt to Morgan's style to the extent that once invested in the book; I hardly noticed it.

I had no expectations at all when I first started reading this and I was left pleasantly surprised. I downloaded it after noticing that it was on Amazon's Top 100 Kindle books and also happened to free for download. In retrospect though, the book is worth so much more. I'm happily planning to buy the other books currently available by Kathleen Morgan because I enjoyed her writing that much.

I will admit there were points in the book where I felt conflicted towards Anne (the female protagonist). There were moments where I loved her, moments I hated her and moments where I was worried about her well being. There was particularly controversial scene (no spoilers 'cause I'm feeling nice) which leaves me feeling a bit disappointed, but I took it with a pinch of salt and continued reading.

Whilst I enjoyed the book, I have to admit I wasn't completely satisfied with Anne. She started off as an independent woman with her own identity and slowly she lost her identity and became Niall's possession. The ending hinted that in the future she would gain her identity back somewhat, but I wish the author had made it more obvious.

Other than those couple of complaints, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for something different to their usual romance books. :)

Rating:    

Tuesday, 3 January 2012

My Favourite Books of 2011

Honestly, I wish I'd read more last year. I'm not going to bother to count the books I did read because I'm sure it comes up to less than 30. Yeah, pitiful for someone who hopes to get into the Publishing industry someday, but you can't change the past can you?

From what I did read there are only a handful which left a deep impression. So here they are, my favourite books of 2011!

1. Wicca: Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

2. Wicca: The Coven by Cate Tiernan

3. Matched by Ally Condie

4. Child of the Mist by Kathleen Morgan

5. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro