Features | 2016 Releases On My TBR

Monday, 18 January 2016

Features | 2016 Releases On My TBR

Image via unsplash.com 

With a new year brings a whole host of new books to devour and today I wanted to talk about a handful of upcoming releases. Of course there are so many new titles I'm looking forward to this year and this would be a very long post if I tried to feature them all! So instead I've selected ten of my top picks to share with you. Here's a little more about each one...

1. The Mystery Of Hollow Places, Rebecca Podos – 26th January
As you may already know, I'm a big fan of stories with a little mystery and that's exactly what this January release promises. The book is all about a girl whose father, a forensic pathologist and author of mysterious tales, disappears suddenly leaving her to use skills she's picked up from him to piece together the story.

2. Blackhearts, Nicole Castroman – 9th February
This YA novel is part retelling, part historical fiction as it explores the story of Blackbeard, or rather his life before becoming a notorious pirate. There's been a lot of talk about this one amongst the book blogging community so I'm really looking forward to finding out more.

3. Beautiful Broken Things, Sara Barnard - 11th February
This Contemporary read focuses on friendship and deals with difficult issues so is set to be a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Having heard so many people talking about the novel, including authors at YALC and the Young Adult Literature Weekender, this book just had to make the list. I've actually already reserved a copy from my local library and I'm really hoping it lives up to the hype.

4. The Lifeboat Clique, Kathy Parks – 1st March
Next up is this YA Contemporary novel with a dark twist, which is set to hit the shelves in March. During a party, disaster strikes leaving a group of teens stranded at sea, including a pair of ex-BFFs and the book follows what happens as they try to survive. The cover design is also particularly eye-catching which is definitely a bonus! 

5. A Study In Charlotte, Brittany Cavallaro – 1st March
The first in a planned trilogy, this one is another retelling of sorts, featuring Jamie 'great-great-grandson of John' Watson and Charlotte 'great-great-granddaughter of Sherlock' Holmes. The novel follows the pair as they find themselves framed for a crime that sounds as if it could be plucked straight from the pages of a Sherlock story - this one definitely looks like it will be an exciting read!

6. The Last Star, Rick Yancey – 5th May
Having had mixed feelings about the first two novels in the 5th Wave series I'm keen to find out how the story will conclude. The big screen adaptation of the first book is also due to hit cinemas later this week and I'm looking forward to seeing how they bring the characters and world to life. It'll hopefully also be a great refresher before the final book's release!

7. The Unexpected Everything, Morgan Matson – 5th May
If you caught my Features post back in November you'll know that I found some new favourite Contemporary reads in Matson's first three novels. I can't wait to pick up her fourth, due out in May, which follows politician's daughter Andie at the height of a scandal. I'm sure I'll be purchasing this one, and I'm intrigued to find out if they'll be any sneaky crossovers with her other books this time around.

8. The Leaving, Tara Altebrando – 7th June
Another thriller title with an intriguing premise is this summer release centring around a group of children who return after a mysterious disappearance eleven years earlier. None of them seem to remember where they have been and what happened to them or the sixth child who is still missing. I enjoyed Altebrando's collaborative novel Roomies (written alongside Sara Zarr) and whilst this is a completely different type of story I'm looking forward to picking it up!

9. The Fever Code, James Dashner - 27th September
As a fan of the Maze Runner series I've been eagerly awaiting the release of The Fever Code. The novel is a prequel to the original trilogy, featuring characters we got to know throughout the series and is set to reveal details of many unsolved mysteries including how the maze was created. I have high hopes for this one!

10. Heartless, Marissa Meyer - 8th November
Sticking with the theme showcased throughout her four-book series The Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer's next release is another retelling of sorts. This time she's taking on the world of Wonderland and penning the story of The Queen Of Hearts... before she became queen. Having enjoyed Meyer's twists on other classic characters such as Cinderella and Snow White I'm keen to find out how she will put her own spin on the queen's story.

Which 2016 releases are you most looking forward to?

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My Heart & Other Black Holes | Jasmine Warga | Review

Wednesday, 13 January 2016

My Heart & Other Black Holes | Jasmine Warga | Review

*Trigger warning: This book contains discussions and glorification of suicide.*

Aysel wants to die. She is convinced she has the same darkness inside of her that her father has and wants to protect everyone around her by ending her life. There is only one problem, she needs somebody to make sure she goes through with it. Enter Roman - a boy she met on an online chatroom designed to create Suicide Partners. Only Roman isn't what she expected - he's good looking, is popular, has talents and dreams, why does he want to die? As the two become closer, Aysel begins to question whether they are doing the right thing and we're left wondering whether the two will go through with it or not. 

I enjoyed this book. It's the first book I've actually finished in a while and it didn't take me long to whip through it. However, it didn't blow me away and I was kind of hoping it would. The topic is very dark and one that is quite close to my heart. The portrayal of teenagers with depression who are contemplating suicide was a realistic one, in my opinion. Particularly through the descriptions of Roman but less so through Aysel's voice. The ending lacked for me and I was left feeling as though the story wasn't quite over, even when I turned the last page. I still really enjoyed reading this book and getting to know the two main characters and their struggles. I would highly recommend picking up this book - it won't change your life, but it's still a good read.

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Better With Age | Phyllis Strupp | Review

Monday, 11 January 2016

Better With Age | Phyllis Strupp | Review

*Image and book provided by NetGalley.

Summary:

"Use it or lose it" is a phrase we often hear when it comes to our brains. But are there better ways than others to engage our brains? Are there parts of our brains that are more important to keep active? In Better With Age, Strupp provides readers with several examples of the best way to "use it". 

Review:

This book ended up being a better read than I thought. I was worried that it would be full of "you can do it" fluff speak with no actual substance. Instead, I got a well thought out book that balances scientific knowledge with anecdotal experiences to provide some very good guidelines for readers. Better With Age is a bit more of a workbook, but the engagement questions at the end of each chapter really are good food for thought. 

Strupp discusses a lot of aspects of mental health and admits when parts of the brain are still too unknown for her suggestions to be one-hundred percent true. She is even nice enough to provide a section of suggested reading for further research. The glossary at the end of the book is also helpful for those of us who can easily trip over scientific terminology. 

I will not give away any of Strupp's suggestions, but I did find them to be interesting and, given my family's history with Alzheimer's, rather applicable. Strupp has done her research and has a lot of experience in this arena. So if you are worried about your long-term mental health, I highly recommend this book. I'll probably be picking up a physical copy for a couple of people I know.

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Features | Reading Goals

Thursday, 7 January 2016

Features | Reading Goals

A new year means new reading goals. Whether you've pledged to read 100 books on goodreads or just promised yourself that you'll read more non-fiction this year, you've probably already set some kind of reading goal for 2016. Mine is just to read as many of the unread books in my bookcase as I possibly can. (Easier said than done when so many excellent new books keep coming out!)

I have never officially taken part in the goodreads yearly reading challenges but I do secretly try to read at leat 52 books every year and I keep a list of all the books I've read each year so that I can easily see what I've read when December comes around. I've been doing this for the past three years and in 2015 I broke my own record, reading nearly 70 books in one year. Pleased as I am with that number though, there are other things in terms of my reading that I am more proud of this year.

Last year I took part in my first readathon and read seven books in seven days for the booktubeathon, I also read and reviewed all 13 books in the Gossip Girl series for my blog, and I finally finished T. H. White's The Once and Future King, after taking a break from it for over a year. I read Frankenstein and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for the first time, and three of the Sherlock Holmes books. Three years from now I know I'll remember all of those things, but I doubt I'll be able to remember how many books I read in 2015 without checking the list again.

I would like to read more classics this year, and I would like to really make a dent in my TBR, but in terms of numbers I'm not too worried. I don't expect to read as many books in 2016 as I did last year and I certainly don't expect to read any more 13 book series. As long as I read a lot of books I enjoy, I'll consider it a good reading year.

Have you set any reading goals for 2016? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

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Features | My 2016 Reading Goals

Monday, 4 January 2016

Features | My 2016 Reading Goals

For my first Blogger's Bookshelf post of 2016 thought I would share my new reading goals for the year ahead. Last year I decided against setting any overall target numbers, instead opting for small goals such as aiming for five re-reads and setting my 'books I vow to read' list here at BB. This year I've settled on a similar mix of smaller goals, here's a little more about each of them...

Re-Read More! 
Having successfully completed my 2015 re-reads challenge I found that I really enjoyed revisiting some old reads and am even kicking off the new year with no less than three more! Whilst there are lots of new titles I'm looking forward to picking up, I'm also hoping to find time for a few more re-reads in 2016 too.

Take Part In A Set Challenge...
In addition to making re-reading a permanent fixture in my schedule I'm also planning to have a go at Popsugar's 2016 Reading Challenge which includes 40 different mini goals, ranging from a book with a blue cover to a New York Times bestseller - and everything in between! I've chosen this particular list as I'm hoping it may encourage me to read a few things I might not normally pick out for myself. There's also a handy printable to keep track of your list if you want to join in!

& A Readathon!
This one makes the list as it's something I've never done before. I'm not too sure how I'll get on with this particular type of challenge but I'd really like to give it a try this year. I haven't yet settled on which readathon I want to go for but if you have any ideas, or are hosting one, please leave a comment and let me know!

Make Time For Non-Fiction
As always I'll also be picking out five titles as part of the 'books we vow to read' challenge we host here at Blogger's Bookshelf each year. We haven't shared our lists yet (look out for the post in a couple of weeks time) but I'm planning to stick to a theme this year; non-fiction. Up until a few years ago I was much more likely to pick out a non-fiction book than a novel (mostly film-related at the time!) and so for the 2016 challenge I have a selection of five non-fiction titles lined up.

What are your reading goals for 2016?

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Gold Fame Citrus | Claire Vaye Watkins | Review

Friday, 1 January 2016

Gold Fame Citrus | Claire Vaye Watkins | Review

I received this book from Hachette Publishing New Zealand, 

in exchange for an honest review. 

 

"Your people came here looking for something better.

Gold, fame, citrus."

"In a parched southern California of the near future, Luz, once the poster child for the country’s conservation movement, and Ray, an army deserter turned surfer, are squatting in a starlet’s abandoned mansion ... Holdouts like Ray and Luz subsist on rationed cola and water, and whatever they can loot, scavenge, and improvise ...  

When they cross paths with a mysterious child, the thirst for a better future begins. Heading east, they are waylaid in the desert by a charming and manipulative dowser – a diviner for water -- and his cult-like followers, who have formed a colony in a mysterious sea of dunes."- from Goodreads

Can I just start this review off by saying that I really wanted to get into this book, but I just couldn't. It think it was a mixture of things, but let me first just tell you a little about the plot. Like Goodreads has just explained to us (thank you, Goodreads), Luz and her partner Ray are in the near future California, water is scarce, dust is everywhere (think James Dashner's The Scorch Trials), life as they knew it doesn't exist. They barely survive as it is, but when they stumble across a small child, life changes even more. They run into a group of people in a vast dessert, with a leader who is clearly a madman and runs his followers more like a cult than friends. It's a dodgy outfit, and Luz doesn't really seem to see it.

It's a story full of ugly scenarios and horrible people, but in hindsight, it showed human nature and characteristics, and while that is sad, and a terrible realisation to come to, it's true. One thing that I can say is that it is beautifully written. Much of the chatter on Goodreads and Amazon and the like mention the writing style. Watkins does write extremely well, but I found at times it was too good. What do I mean? I think I mean that at times I was so fixated on the words she was using, and in the way she was using them, that it took away from the story. Every sentence was clearly and carefully thought out and crafted into a descriptive wonder paragraph of words, but it was too much for me. I was distracted with her words, and I didn't really care that much about Luz or the other characters.

However! If you're after a more adult dystopian-like story, definitely pick up Gold Fame Citrus. I thought it was, perhaps, going to be more like the dystopian-like stories I've read and loved over the years, but it was certainly more adult focused and geared towards an older audience than those others. If you're after an incredibly well written book about the horrors and also wonders of humanity, with a
dystopian feel, mixed with science fiction, and has a cult thrown into the mix, give this book a go.

Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it won't be for you. In fact, it may be your new favourite book of the year. Give it a go, and let me know what you think! If you have read it, what did you think? Let me know!



Image from Goodreads.

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