365 Days of Happiness...Such a pick me up

Title: 365 Days of Happiness
Author: Jacqueline Pirtle
ISBN: 9781732085107
Rating: 7/10
Genre: Happiness, lessons, quotes, self-help
Type: Paperback

"Day 111
You are a shiner! Shiners are people that shine their light bright no matter what is happening for them! I can spot them easily, because they are always striving to be and live as a happier being. They always share their bright light with everyone and everything around them. They light up the world!"

Killer's Forest...Not like any book I have read before

Title: Killer's Forest
Author: Ellington Norris
Rating: 7/10
Genre: Thriller, Murder, Crime
Book: Kindle

"How is Al?' He asked in a hushed tone. Johnny stared and could not conjure an answer. 'Has he said anything to you? Anything about Smith, or the woods, or," Will paused to think, "Or anything strange?" Johnny had his chance - he could reveal Al's plan, his depravity, let Will know Al had tipped from daydreams to a course of action, but the words caught in Johnny's throat. Johnny could not risk losing his only true friend.
Johnny's mind and mouth stuttered a response to Will after a long pause. 'I believe he is fine.' Johnny sealed his fate. Will eyed Johnny but bid him a safe evening, noting he would return to the store after sunrise. Johnny nodded and watched Will walk in the dark towards his home. Before Johnny could shake the guilt from lying to Will, Al returned,
'Tomorrow.'
'Yes, tomorrow.'
'Before sunrise?'
Yes. Before sunrise."

Hooked on the Game...Easy read but not worth reading again

Title: Hooked on the Game - Book 1 of The Sterling Shore Series
Author: C. M. Owens
ISBN: 978-1-502-80085-5
Rating: 3/10
Genre: Romance, Fiction
Book: Kindle

"In my opinion, no saint goes without sinning, and no sinner goes without having some saintly qualities. You can judge one for their mistakes, or you can love them for the flaws they try to correct. I choose to love my father. That might make me stupid, but I'd prefer to be called stupid instead of cold. You only live once.
'I had a house once, with my father. It was nice. We were happy. But we lost it later on.'
'Did he leave you and your mom?'
I wish I could just tell him.
'Yes and no. He left because he had to; not because he wanted to. It's a long story I don't want to delve into tonight."

Wonder...A tear jerker

Title: Wonder
Author: R. J. Palacio
ISBN: 978-0-552-57695-6
Rating: 7/10
Genre: Adolescent, Disability, Young Adult
Book: Paperback 

"Mom knocked on my door after dinner. She looked drained, and I realized that between me and Auggie, today had been a tough day for her, too.
'So you want to tell me what's up?' she asked nicely, soft.
'Not now, okay?' I answered. I was reading. I was tired. Maybe later I'd be up to telling her about Miranda, but not now.
'I'll check in before you go to bed,' she said, and then she came over and kissed me on the top of my head.
'Can Daisy sleep with me tonight?'
'Sure, I'll bring her in later.'
'Don't forget to come back,' I said as she left.
'I promise.'
But she didn't come back that night. Dad did. He told me Auggie had had a bad first day and Mom was helping him through it."

The Hunger Games Catching Fire...The next instalment

Title: The Hunger Games Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
ISBN: 978-1-407109-36-7
Rating: 7/10
Genre: Thriller, Young Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Drama
Book: Paperback

"Well, then this is your lucky day,' I say, dropping my game bag on the floor. People are starving all over the district and we still have more than enough. So I've been spreading things around a little. I have my own priorities: Gale's family, Greasy Sae, some of the other Hob traders who were shut down. My mother has other people, patients mostly, who she wants to help. This morning I purposely overstuffed my game bag with food, knowing my mother would see the depleted pantry and assume I was making my rounds to the hungry. I was actually buying time to go to the lake without her worrying. I intended to deliver the food this evening on my return, but now I can see that won't be happening."

The Saturday Supper Club...A really good read

Title: The Saturday Supper Club
Author: Amy Bratley
ISBN: 987-0330519687
Rating: 8/10
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Fiction
Book: Audiobook

This is an audiobook which I have actually enjoyed. It has been a little while since I have enjoyed an audiobook which I have received from the library for a while. I was in two minds about whether to read it because I had not enjoyed the last couple of books I had as an audiobook.

Three Years and 2018's Bucket List

Happy New Year Everyone!

How did you spend your new year? What did you decide to do? We spent the evening with family playing games, eating lots of food and laughing. However, the start of 2018 has brought some change in our house. We have both decided a number of things. We have decided that we ate far too much over Christmas and needed to be healthier in the new year, we wanted to be more active and go for long walks in our local countryside and we want to go on more city breaks this year. So in order to see what we have achieved over the year and what we could do to achieve these things, I created a bucket list for the year. 

Coming Home...Seriously, is that it?

Title: Coming Home
Author: Patricia Scanlan
ISBN:
Rating: 6/10
Genre: Fiction, Christmas, Audiobook, Family
Book: Audiobook

I can only apologise for how long it has taken for me to write this review. I finished Coming Home on 12th Septemeber and I just have not had the time to write a successful review so I can only apologise. I have recently started a new job in a Secondary School and I am absolutely loving it! It is so different to the usual Primary School routines that I am used too that I have been so exhausted and tired when I have come home that I just chill. I am sure you can appreciate that.

Is there ever such a thing as too many books to own?

This is something which has been asked a number of times. I have seen posts all over the internet asking if there is a possibility of a person owning too many books? My honest opinion? No, there is no such a thing as too many books. How could they possibly be such a thing as too many? How are people actually able to state what counts as too many? If you live in a one room studio and you have to support your bed up by books then that is how many you can fit in your studio. If you own a 6 bedroom stately home with its own library then you're going to be able to fit in a fair few bookshelves to accommodate your collection.

Love Hunt...Erm...Too much going on

Title: Love Hunt
Author: Fiona Walker
ISBN: 9780753143872
Rating: 4/10
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Woman's Fiction, Chick Lit
Book: Audiobook

I found this audiobook really difficult to follow. I only realised once I had withdrawn it from the library that it is 20 hour and 55 minutes long. This took me nearly two months to complete in the car. Each chapter is about 40 minutes long and there are that many different characters to follow I found it really hard to follow who was who and why they were doing the things they were.

"I'd love to read but I just don't have the time!"

Really? Really? I mean come on! How can you not have time? Do you really, honestly, find yourself busy 24/7? You honestly don't have any time to yourself where you could find 10 or 20 minutes to just chill out with a book and do nothing but think about your fiction world? I mean I am a primary school teacher, if anyone can understand about the time their day job takes up it is me! I work during the day, I work from 8 till 6 quite often and come home and continue to work some nights and continue nearly all day Sunday. I still read. I read and have a blog.

Do audiobooks count as reading?

This is a question I have been asked many times. Do audiobooks count as reading? My simple answer is yes. How can they not? You spend as much time selecting and choosing an audiobook as you do a physical book.

I personally have read a small selection of audiobooks. I have always wanted to listen to them but have found that they can be extortionately expensive! No one wants to pay £15+ for a CD/MP3. So how did I overcome this? I realised my local library loans out audiobooks! What a brilliant idea! 

Crazy in Love...What an absolute idiot, Birdie

Title: Crazy in Love
Author: Chrissie Manby
ISBN: 9780340937044
Rating: 7/10
Genre: Romance, Thriller, Fiction, Woman
Book Format: Audiobook

I have really taken to listening to audiobooks in the car. I find they pass the time really well. What would normally be a boring and dull journey can now be interesting and quick. I love that I can put the CD in and just drift off into the world of a book, still concentrating on the driving of course!

Finally...a new book shop has arrived!

Evening all.

I have the utmost happiness to announce that after over 10 years, Yarm, my lovely little picturesque town which I live in, has its very own bookshop! The Waterstones bookshop opened on Saturday. It is located at the North end of Yarm High Street where the HSBC bank used to be. It is lovely!

The Book Thief...Wow!

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
ISBN: 978-0-5527-7389-8
Rating: 9.5/10
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Historic, Fascism

"What's that little saukerl up to this time? All that running out there.' Liesel would move to the window, 'At least he hasn't painted himself black again.' 'Well that's something isn't it?' 'Four gold medals,' he said to Liesel one afternoon, when she did laps with him at Hubert Oval. 'Like Jesse Owens back in thirty-six.' 'You're not still obsessed with him, are you?' Rudy's feet rhymed with his breathing. 'Not really, but it would be nice, wouldn't it? It would show all those b******s who said I was crazy. They'd see that I wasn't so stupid after all.' 'But can you really win all four events?' 'They slowed to a stop at the end of the track, and Rudy placed his hands on his hips. 'I have to."

TBR Jar - I will organise my books!

I have been inspired by a range of photos I have seen on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram which use jars to provide ideas and thoughts. Date night jars, wedding planning suggestions, baby names amongst loads of others. So here is my jar. The TBR Jar is my way to finally go through the books I have "to be read" and to ensure I am not missing any books which I have on my bookshelf and have not read.

New November 2015 Releases! They will definitely be in my next basket!

I thought I would create a post about new releases this month and what will definitely be on my shopping list. There is a range of books released this month, but these are the four main books which I thought are the most interesting and ones which I will be looking out for. As you already know I love a wide range of book genres and these books cover the fictional genres. There are so many books already on my bookshelf, but I can't resist a good buy.

My Fictional Bucket List

Hello, everyone. 

I have watched and read a number of other people talking about who they would like to meet in their fictional bucket list so I thought I would weigh in on the discussion. For those who do not know, a fictional bucket list is characters you would like to meet from any fictional text and where you would go and what you would do with them.

So I have tried to think about which books I would like to include and which characters I would meet. If only, all this was possible!!

So here we go...

A look into my pride and joy...my bookshelf

Hello!

I am wanting more and more of my readers to speak to me and I believe the way to do this is to speak to you more. I can't possibly expect you to speak to me if I'm not speaking to you can i?!

Well this is going to change from more on! I have previously been posting a blog roughly once a month and it has occurred to me that this is not enough! How can I possibly expect to continue hearing from you lovely readers if you're not hearing from me through my posts.

So my plan is...to update you on what is currently happening in my life and then to let you in on one of my most precious possessions. My book shelf! My bookshelf is one of the most important things to me, might sound sad to any none book lovers, but us "die hards" can recognise true book love when you see it. 

One Day...Couldn't Put it Down

Title: One Day
Author: David Nicholls
ISBN: 978-1444724585
Rating: 8/10
Genre: Romance, comedy, drama

"You are smart and funny and kind (too kind if you ask me) and by far the cleverest person I know. And...you are also a Very Attractive Woman. And...yes I do mean 'sexy' as well, though I do feel a bit sick writing it down. Well I am not going to scribble it out because it's politically incorrect to call someone 'sexy' because it is also TRUE. You're gorgeous you old hag, and if I could get you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. It would be the gift of Confidence. Either that or a scented candle."