Buy books and Save the world!

Hello fellow book people!

First off I have to admit this is a really really cheeky post, so for taking advantage of you am very sorry in advance.
Now that's out the way lets get on with this....

While at work (I know sometimes I have to stop reading) I came across the Give as you Live campaign.
You sign up and download it, from then the charity you choose will receive a percentage of what you spend online as a donation.........the best part of it is it doesn't cost you anything.
For example Waterstones have pledged to donate 3% and The Works 6% of what people spend to their chosen charity though this scheme.

Am working on launching this for League of Friends in Sheffield, all there donations go to providing equipment and services for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (That's all 5 hospitals across the city)
So the cheeky part would be can you please spare 5 mins on this link and help me raise some money for us.

http://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/leagueoffriendssheffield 

Also you can change the charity at any time, so you can raise money for a specific charity or just a cause, so you can help your local area too.

This way we can all buy books (And loads of other things) And save the world! Also helps ease my book buying guilt :P

Thanks for taking the time to read this post!
xx

PS Sorry this is a bit of a plug for the charity that I work for! However you can use it to support anyone!

Weird Book Habits and General Update

I think I've written this post twice already and seem to be having a bad writing week, so here it goes this is being posted no matter what.......

This week has been a bit of a whirl wind. I have good news regarding my job, but am sworn to secrecy at the moment. Am hoping next week I can tell you all, though its safe to say after a mad year things are finally looking up.

I hate to be super cheesy but I feel I can tell you guys, I really am having one of those, so this is my life moments, and am happy about it. When I left uni its was the first time really I had no plan. Don't get me wrong things didn't always turn out how I thought they would, for starters am not some wacky scientist, who is a also a rock star with a part time job at Woolworths! (yes you read that right, don't ask me why but when I was 8 it was what I wanted to be "When I grew up")

However when one thing ended I ALWAYS knew where I wanted to go next, and this time I couldn't. And honestly it was terrifying,

So continuing this theme of properly sharing too much, I realise the more I talk about books to people and while trying to work out what to write for the blog, I have some really odd Book habits.

Therefore here at my Top Ten Weird Book Confessions in no particular order............

1.My book shelves are organised; my favorite books are the top, least favorite at the bottom. A book series has to be all on the same shelve, it can't be divided over a couple of shelves. 

Authors work has to be in chronological order from when published and on one shelve.

2. I LOVE new books, because I can break the spine myself. which means when I read it at again I can see where I stopped before.

3. All my books I dog ear the pages.

4. Unless its a second had book, then I avoid it like the plague.........why?

5......because its known another life and its not fair........

6......yeah in case you didn't get it from number 5 I seem to personify books sometimes.

7. I try to keep my TBR pile to a maximum of 10,but a minimum of 2 

8. I always have to finish a book I start, even if am not enjoying it, though I have been know to cheat and start reading another book, and keep the other one out beside it, so I can say am just reading a different genera.

9. I feel guilty if I start a series of books and don't finish all the books

10. My mood tends to reflect where I am in a book, if something bad happens to a character it tends to upset me for the day until I get to a happy bit, therefore I always try to finish reading on happy bits, so people don't have to put up with me.

Am sure there are plenty more, and as I think of them I will try to update/add them.

How about you? Do you have any book confessions?

Tethers

There is sooo much I want to say in this post I feel I should apologizes now if I waffle a bit.

"In the wake of a cold Victorian winter, Karl Scheffer and Esther Emerson discover an anonymous journal filled with strange passages and bizarre scribblings. The journal soon draws them into a covert and sinister conspiracy, a conspiracy centred around an otherworldly artefact with the power to change everything"

When I first read about this book its concept grabbed me and straight away it was one of those books I just wanted to read. 

Having received my copy I was planning on reading it straight after I finished my current book however then the book funk hit. I didn't open it for a good few weeks, partly because I wanted to give it a just and fair chance, and knew at that time anything I picked up wouldn't have fit the odd mood I was in.

However one rainy afternoon (seriously its meant to be summer) having not read for WEEKS (which is really unusual for me) I found myself staring at it on the kindle app.

At first I thought, well I will just give it a page and see........well at 10 pm that night I was still reading.

I can honestly say I LOVED this book, and owe Croxall a massive Thank you for breaking my reading funk. 

I think this is going to always be one of those books I remember, as ones that were so good I forgot about everything else.

People who follow my twitter will properly have seen that I missed sleep some nights as I was reading too much.... YAY!!!!!

What really stood out for me was the voices the characters are given, I really felt like I was watching Karl, with a K, and Esther come to life, and show me their story. And having moved to the area (sort of) recently I really felt that the dialect, and colloquialisms are perfect. One thing that did stand out was that rather than just mention there accents Croxall using colloquium in there speech  which feels more organic to me.

The story moved on smoothly and the pace never left me bored, only guessing what would happen next.

This is defiantly a book I would recommend to anyone, but especially school kids, I think this is one of the books that would get them reading, and make them realize that reading is fun. Though at 22 I was still captivated.

Another thing I also noticed was that my usual Kindle-disease didn't get to me. Being a bit of a freak I cant stand the kindle, I think it has a place in the world however that place isn't with me. I like BOOKS, I want to be able to hold the pages, see how far I am in the book, not see that am 62% of the way though! Ops sorry that's a rant for another day........ The point is normally I just cant get though a book on the Kindle, or I do but I have no real connection to it there a few exceptions to this and I am pleased to say Tethers is one of them.

I was nervous about starting it just because I didn't want my prejudices of the format to get in the way of the story, I think it speaks volumes for the writing that it didn't

Now the only thing left to do is get myself a Paperback copy, so I can re-read it, and have it sit happy on my bookshelf. While I eagerly await the next installment. 

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5

Hello

Hey sorry it's taken a bit to get this post out, only just started the blog last night, and apparently am behind the tech times, it took me forever to work out how to use the layout and even what gadgets I wanted on it! 

So please forgive me of this blog is a bit (ok massively) pants for a while, I think am going to have several teething problems! Though I do really hope the blogosphere sticks with me for a while. 

I guess at this point you might like to know a little about me, well am 21, addicted to books if there was a fancy rehab somewhere for books I would be admitted, and suffer several re-lapses on my way to recovery. Asides from this I love to cook and bake so if am not glued to a book I tend to be in the kitchen, got a problem with ginger cake at the moment, as in I've made up a tasty recipe and can't stop making it!

This afternoon I joined the National Trust, yes I am just that cool! This may not seem important but to me is a bit of a new leaf/turning a corner thingy, I have decided to try and get fit, after all sitting down reading books and eating cake is never good for you long term. Plus having just suddenly having go move to the lovely Derbyshire (having grown up near Cambridge/Hertfordshire) I think am starting to put down some roots and there lots of lovely places to visit here and walk. So for me splashing out £20 on a membership is like saying "yep am going to stay" rather than "I will leave as soon as I can" (also loads cheaper than a gym with less people seeing me look all gross while trying to work out!)

As the title of the blog suggests am finally airing my poor book journal! After too long sat beside my bed it's getting to see the world. I've only just discovered the amazing, exciting and enticing world of blogs! Thanks to Ellie from musingsofabookshopgirl. It seems finally there is an end to the glazed look in people's eyes when they ask me if am enjoying  my books and they get a very very long speech about how good the plot is, who I like in it and who I don't, what line I hope and wish the plot takes and normally finished with "generally I like it, you should read it so I have someone to talk about it with" at which point they go "uh yea sure" while fumbling for there keys and running to the nearest exist! 

Am hoping this will become a sort of review/discussion blog tho am hoping it will sort of shape itself as to whatever comes out of my head as am typing away, am sure there are many more experienced blogger shaking their heads at me going "Noooooooo you fool" so any advice will be warmly welcome as am finding me feet. Am hoping to also find me feet regarding the writing since its been a long time since I wrote anything that wasn't a essay or reviews for my own eyes only, which tend to be scribbles of plot outline (so I can remember the books) favorite quotes in the books if any stand out, and if to do more author research to find more books. 

At the moment am really into Dark Fantasy, it seems a little rut am in, though I am really enjoying The Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris  novels am currently on book 5 and kicking myself for not reading them earlier. Having never seen True Blood I didn't know really what to expect but wanted to read the books before looking at the show. Anyone else have that rule where they will try to read the books before seeing the film/tv show version? 

Am also listening to A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness when walking, am enjoying it though have to admit two things, first is that am enjoying it but not become consumed by it, if that makes sense to anyone. The second is I know it's set in Oxford but having spent so long in Cambridge most of the time am picturing Cambridge then she describes streets etc. hey they are similar

After these series I think I might try some Autobiographies  maybe something in the True Crime area or a different fiction like Dan Brown. Unless of course one of my favorite authors brings something new out, then am forced to read that straight way, what?!? It would be rude not to :P 

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog I will leave you with a photo from where I was reading yesterday .........