Edward Scissorhands Volume 2: Whole Again | Kate Leth & Drew Rausch | Review

Saturday, 31 October 2015

Edward Scissorhands Volume 2: Whole Again | Kate Leth & Drew Rausch | Review

 

*Review copy c/o Netgalley, image via goodreads.com

The second volume of this Edward Scissorhands reboot takes place after our favourite outsider has won over the town’s residents as we tag along on another of Meg and Edward’s adventures.

Alongside a couple of new characters the pair find themselves headed out to meet Dr Wells, queen of the makeover. You see, Edward has just had a TV installed in his castle for the first time and stumbles across the Dr’s popular reality series, and becomes fixated on being ‘normal’. Soon the group find themselves at the centre of Dr Wells next big episode, with Edward becoming somewhat of a celebrity. Meg however isn't the Dr's biggest fan and has her suspicions that things may not be quite what they seem.

In this volume we also get to see Kim through some flashback sequences. These show snippets of her life across the last twenty years, between the events of the 1990 film and the previous graphic novel, including interactions between her and her young family as well as Edward. I really loved this addition to the graphic novel's fresh story as it perfectly ties the new adventures of Edward back to the original film.

I have to admit, I didn’t enjoy the story of Whole Again quite as much as Parts Unknown but it was still a good quick read with awesome illustrations. Once again, I hope to see more adventures starring Edward, Meg and co. in the future!

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Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown | Kate Leth & Drew Rausch | Review

Friday, 30 October 2015

Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown | Kate Leth & Drew Rausch | Review

 Review copy c/o Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion, images via goodreads & drewrausch.com

Edward Scissorhands and I go way back. I’ve been a big fan of the 1990 Tim Burton film for a long time and even used it as inspiration for a project whilst at university back in 2008. Unfortunately that particular idea didn’t end up working out and whilst I still love the story I haven’t watched the film since. I always thought that one day I would revisit the characters and the story however I never imagined it would be through a graphic novel. A few months ago I noticed the cover for this book pop up on Netgalley and couldn't resist taking the opportunity to snap it up, and I'm happy to say that I'm glad I did!

As this is an adaptation of a film with such a distinctive style I want to kick off by talking about the visuals. I have to say I honestly really loved the style of the illustrations in this book, particularly those of Edward and the interior of his castle, which I preferred over the more brightly coloured scenes set outside of his lonely world. With reference to the original film the illustrations had a bit of a Burton-esque feel to them and I really felt that Drew Rausch’s style was perfectly suited to this quirky project. With this in mind I would really love to re-read the story, perhaps next time as a physical book, to catch all of the little details I must have missed first time around.

As for the story itself it’s important to first note that Parts Unknown is not a re-telling of the film’s plot but is actually a sequel. Set years into the future we are introduced to teenager Meg who is the granddaughter of Kim (Wynona Ryder’s character in the film). The plot follows Meg as she looks for Edward and tries to prove that her late grandmother’s tales of the mysterious but lovable character are more than just make-believe. Another new character is introduced in the form of Eli, one of the inventor’s failed projects who becomes the villain of this piece, an interesting twist on the events of the original story.

Personally I loved that this graphic novel offered a different spin on the world of Edward and brought new life to the character so many fans love. It also gave an interesting insight into what could have happened after the events of the film or what we may have seen if there had been a cinematic sequel. I did however feel like the story could have been padded out a little more, although I understand that this isn’t always easy with the format of a graphic novel.

Overall I think Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown is a great little graphic novel and love that the story of Edward is being shared with a new generation. As it looks like this is just part one of a planned series I’m really looking forward to finding out where the story will go in the next instalment and what future adventures Edward and Meg may go on together!

This review was originally published over on my blog e-elise etc in May. Don't forget to check back here tomorrow to read my review of Edward Scissorhands Volume 2: Whole Again!

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Features | 5 Spooky Reads For Halloween

Thursday, 29 October 2015

Features | 5 Spooky Reads For Halloween

Today I'm talking Halloween appropriate reads. I'm not really into super scary horror books, but I like a little spooky as much as the next person, so I'm here to share a few spooky recommendations with you to get you in that Halloween spirit!

1. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is definitely not the most original Halloween recommendation in the world but the story of Dr Henry Jekyll and the sinister Mr Edward Hyde has been chilling the bones of readers for well over one hundred years now and for good reason too! You may think you know the story already, but I highly recommend reading the novel if you never have. No one tells it better than Stevenson himself.

2. Shiver the Whole Night Through by Darragh McManus

Shiver the Whole Night Through starts with a young Irish boy choosing not to end his own life. He wakes the next morning to find that a girl he sort of knows didn't make that same decision that night. Then he finds an icy message on his bedroom window, which makes him wonder if that's really the whole story. I actually read this one a few days ago and it took me all of two days to read because as soon as I started it I was hooked and just wanted to see what happened next in the spooky Shook Woods.

3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein is another novel, like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that you might think you already know all about but which will definitely surprise you if you've never read it before. I read it for the first time this month and, although I am a self confessed classics-phobe, I loved every minute of it. Frankenstein's story of his hideous creation and the consequences of his tampering with nature is every bit as chilling as you would expect and it's an excellent and intriguing read from start to finish.

4. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

For those of you who really aren't into spooky stories but still want to get into the magical spirit, I highly recommend Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys series. There are three books so far, following Blue and her raven boys as they search for the ancient Welsh king Glendower. Blue's whole family are psychics and the search for Glendower is shrouded with mystery and magic, as are a few of the boys themselves, so there's no shortage of Halloween spirit here.

5. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine series is already pretty creepy, with its mysterious monsters and even more mysterious Peculiar children, but what really takes it over the edge are the antique photographs Riggs uses to illustrate the stories. In my opinion the second book in the series, Hollow City, is the creepiest of all but all three books manage to be pretty creepy in their own rights and I would highly recommend the series, if only for the experience of getting to really see the Peculiar world that the protagonist, Jacob, discovers in their pages as well as reading about it.

What spooky books are on your reading list this Halloween?

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Tonight The Streets Are Ours | Leila Sales | Review

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Tonight The Streets Are Ours | Leila Sales | Review

*image via Goodreads

Like all the stories, the one you are about to read is a love story.

If it wasn't, what would be the point?

Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of people is just was she does, especially when it comes to her family, boyfriend - Chris, or her best friend Lindsay. Being self-sacrificing has been her thing since she was a child. She does it completely out of love. Her loyalty is such a part of her identity she was even immortalised in perfect porcelain doll form, when she had an American Girl Doll named after her.

One day he stumbles upon 'Tonight The Streets Are Ours’, a blog written by a teenage boy called Peter who lives in New York. She soon finds herself fascinated by Peter’s life and his story. His life in Manhattan is so far removed from her own in small-town Maryland. When Peter writes on the blog that he’s been dumped suddenly by his ‘perfect’ girlfriend - Bianca - Arden takes a risk and decides to road trip to the city to see him. In one crazy whirlwind night out, with Lindsay in tow, Arden soon discovers things aren’t as they seem with Peter. And maybe Arden will learn a little bit about herself along the way too.

So what’s my verdict?

I have a lot of feelings about this book. 

First of all the choice of first person perspective was totally apt and necessary for this story to work. We only see Arden, her friends, her family, and even Peter through her eyes. Her story is one of awkward self-discovery, and whilst it can be frustrating it’s so important to remember she’s only 17 years old. Yes, she’s incredibly loyal, but she’s also in some ways, naive, self serving and (as I’ve seen some reviews) incredibly unlikable. But that's the thing, Arden will obviously paint herself in a good light. In her own mind she's always strives do good and to be good, but as it turns out is not the best way to live your life sometimes.

As for the other characters, again, as we’re seeing them through Arden’s eyes they aren’t painted in the most favourable way. Her father is a workaholic, her mother an deserter, her boyfriend is kind but totally goal orientated, and her best friend Lindsay at times is a bit of a freeloader. Peter is portrayed her escape. Through his blogs she sees him as the ultimate good. He too is just trying to do the right thing - something Arden clearly identifies with.
With these characters in place it was hard not to predict that the inevitable tensions buried under the surface explode - sometimes at the worst possible moments. Not only does Arden learn a lot about herself but we also see everyone else growing and developing throughout the story.

All in all what's most interesting about the story is not Arden herself or even her story, but the running themes of perception, self-sacrifice and love in all forms. Sales captures the reality that we can never really know the full story and whilst we want to believe we’re always the good guy in the story, sometimes we’re our own worst enemy too.

Reading Soundtrack:

A Place In This World: Taylor Swift

Fools: Troye Sivan

This City Is Contagious: The Cab

Friday Night: McFLY

Manhattan: Sara Barielles 

The Mixed Tape: Jack’s Manequin 

Daydreaming: Paramore

Just Watch Me: Kate Voegele 

For lovers of…Paper Towns, Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist, and Jennifer E. Smith.

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THREE | Happy Birthday Blogger's Bookshelf!

Monday, 26 October 2015

THREE | Happy Birthday Blogger's Bookshelf!

Today's post is an extra special one for everyone here at team BB as we're celebrating three years since Ria & Erin launched the blog!

We're very proud of everything we've achieved so far, including the fact that according to Bloglovin' our number of regular readers has almost doubled over the last twelve months! We're also very grateful to our current team lineup for all of their hard work in keeping Blogger's Bookshelf full of interesting new content, as well as everyone else who has written for us along the way.

Finally, we'd like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of our readers, both old and new, for joining us on our book blogging journey! We hope you'll all stick around to celebrate our fourth year with us too.

And to celebrate our 3rd birthday we have a very special giveaway to say thank you to all of our readers! Included in this awesome YA themed literary bundle:

The official YALC 2015 goodie bag, complete with a tote bag, pens, badges, postcards, and bookmarks

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A handful of preview reads including All Of The above, The Art Of Being Normal and Demon Road

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An uncorrected proof copy of The Baby by Lisa Drakeford* 

All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below! The giveaway is open to everyone (including you International folk!) for the next two weeks and will end on the 8th November 2015. 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

*c/o Chicken House 

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Bookish Links #10

Saturday, 24 October 2015

Bookish Links #10

1/ Ways To Wear Books - this roundup from Buzzfeed shares tons of awesome bookish accessories and clothing items bibliophiles everywhere will adore! Let us know which item is your favourite in the comments below.

2/ Preserving Paperbacks - if you can't stand the sight of cracked spines this one is for you. In this recent post Joséphine shares her clever method for preserving paperbacks.

3/ Twists & Turns - in this thoughtful post all about twists in novels, Faye sparks an interesting discussion on how knowing in advance that a book has a twist can affect our reading experience.

4/ Favourite Formats - in this post blogger Laura looks at the pros and cons of new books, second hand books and ebooks. Which format is your favourite and why? Let us know in the comments!

5/ Book Club Tips! - ever wanted to join a local book club but had no luck in finding any that are right for you? This informative post written by Janssen is full of advice on how to start your own.

6/ Dangerous Games - great news for fans of author Teri Terry, her brilliant YA novel Mind Games is getting an ebook sequel in December! The book is set to follow the daughter of Mind Games' main character Luna, 16-years after the original novel was set.

7/ Booktube Reccommendations! - it's no secret we love watching a bit of booktube and Lorna has some great recommendations for channels we should all go and subscribe to ASAP. Which booktubers are your favourites?

8/ 2015's Best - if you're looking for your next read this list is the one for you. Business Insider's article shares the 21 most popular fiction titles of the year so far and includes something for everyone! How many of these have you read?

If you've read or written an interesting bookish article you think our readers would enjoy please let us know - it may be featured in a future post!  

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