Kell

TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teaser:

MUSING MONDAYS Did you get any books for Christmas? If so, what were they? If you didn’t, what books are you most looking forward to reading (and/or buying) in the new year? I got two books for Xmas from my wishlist: Simon Scarrow – Praetorian (Romans 11) Philippa Gregory – The Women of the Cousins’ War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King’s Mother I also got a Kindle (yay!), which I’ve loaded up with a few freebies and some other books I came across while looking at the freebies: Carmen Caine – The Glass Wall (Glass Wall 1) Blake Crouch – Run Diana Dempsey – Falling Star Charles Dickens – David Copperfield George Eliot – Middlemarch Jack Erickson – Perfect Crime Julia Golding – The Middle Passage (Cat Royal novella) Amanda Grange – Captain Wentworth’s Diary Amanda Grange – Darcy’s Diary Richard Herley – The Penal Colony Amanda Hocking – Hollowland (Hollows 1) Rod Hoisington – One Deadly Sister (Sandy Reid 1) Lorena McCourt – Invisible (IvyMalone 1) Brian McGillowy – The Stolen Child SJ Parris – Heresy (Giordano Bruno 1) Bettie Sharp – Ember Cody Young – Scandal at the Farmhouse I’m heading into town to spend some of my Xmas money on books today too. My wishlist is about a gazillion miles long, so I’ll just list here the ones I’m most likely to bring home with me if I get the chance (in alphabetical order by author surname): Kendare Blake – Anna Dressed In Blood Richard Castle – Heat Rises (Nikki Heat 3) Amanda Grange – Henry Tilney’s Diary Benjamin Hale – The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore Susan Hill – Howard’s End Is On The Landing Marissa Meyer – Cinder Jackson Pierce – Sisters Red Jonathan Pinnock – Mrs Darcy Versus the Aliens Terry Pratchett – Snuff (Discworld 39) Ransom Riggs – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ~***~ COVER CRAZY What I Love: The intricate arrangement of cogs fronted by a keyhole; the banner with the title; the arrangement of the aforementioned items looking like a hot air balloon suspended above a city in a night sky; the rich-looking border; the fact that it looks a little steampunk-ish. It’s just a gorgeous cover and I love the colours on it. Synopsis: Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo’s dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. ~***~ IT'S MONDAY, WHAT ARE YOU READING? Sarah Singleton – Heretic One I picked up from the library and have just started. Literally just started, so I can’t really make any comment on what I think of it just yet. I’ve enjoyed both the other books I’ve read by this author, though, so I expect to like this one too. The subject matter (a young girl being accused of witchcraft during Tudor reign) is one that interests me a great deal. Philippa Gregory – The Women of the Cousins’ War This one’s non-fiction, which I don’t usually read, but I adored the Cousins’ War trilogy and found the women featured in them to be very interesting and wanted to find out more. As I also love Philippa Gregory’s writing, the publication of this book seemed the perfect opportunity for me to delve a little deeper.

I'm exactly the same - I can't help myself when it comes to acquiring more reading material!

Spent some of my Xmas money on some new books.

OK, I got a Kindle for Xmas - yay! Now, how do I turn it off? I can;t find anything anywhere that tells me how to do that... ETA Obviously it's too late at night for me because I instantly found how to do it once I'd stopped typing - LOL!

I've just finished reading The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. Very good - set in modern-day London with ghosts and a Jack the Ripper slant. I found it almost imposible to put down!

I don't think there's any need to, personally, as this thread is more about asking who has the book - the ohter one in the challenge section is more focusing on the challenge itself.

I'm loving that people are getting on board with this challenge.

Yes, there's a thread in the Challenges section HERE.

What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS! By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions: Ken Harmon – The Fat Man; A Tale of North Pole Noir Victoria Lamb – The Queen’s Secret Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret Malinda Lo – Huntress (Prequel to Ash) Elana Johnson – Possession (Possession book 1) William Joyce – Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (Guardians of Childhood 1) They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

Moneyball - could be a contender for best film at the Oscars...

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY Gifts Any books you’re hoping to get for the holidays this year? How about giving? Are you giving any good ones? My Xmas wish list is ALWAYS chock-full of books! The ones that made it onto my list this year are: Simon Scarrow – Praetorian (Romans 11) Kelley Armstrong – The Gathering (Darkness Rising 1) Kelley Armstrong – The Calling (Darkness Rising 2) Truman Capote – Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Bill Amberg Collection version)* F Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby (Bill Amberg Collection version)* Oscar Wilde – The Picture of Dorian Gray (Bill Amberg Collection version)* Susan Hill – Howard’s End Is On The Landing Philippa Gregory – The Women of the Cousins’ War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King’s Mother Amanda Grange – Henry Tilney’s Diary Amanda Grange – Mr Darcy’s Diary Amanda Grange – Wickham’s Diary Amanda Grange – Mr Knightly’s Diary Amanda Grange – Edmund Bertram’s Diary Amanda Grange – Captain Wentworth’s Diary Jackson Pierce – Sisters Red Marissa Meyer – Cinder Kendare Blake – Anna Dressed In Blood Michelle Hodkin – The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer R J Anderson – Ultraviolet Maggie Stiefvater – Shiver Caragh M O’Brien – Birthmarked Jane Austen and Vera Nazaria – Mansfield Park and Mummies Jane Austen and Adam Rann – Emma and the Wolves * These are to complete my collection – I have the other books from this series of classics. I’ve also asked for a Kindle. *fingers crossed* I’m also giving loads of books as gifts – I always do! However, I’m not revealing any of them here in case the recipients see and it spoils the surprise!

I love Heathers - it's just my dark sens eof humour. Watched Moneyball last night - excellent and I'd say it's probably going to get nominated for Best Film Oscar...

W... W... W... Wednesdays * What are you currently reading? * What did you recently finish reading? * What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? Muriel Marbery – The Elegance of the Hedgehog Still no further with this one. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying it a lot, I just haven’t had the time to devote to sitting down and reading it and books like this tend to make me think, so I like to have the time to think about and absorb them. I’ll probably get back to it after Xmas is out of the way… Maureen Johnson – The Name of the Star This one is a zippy-fast read and I’m loving it! I’m a bit of a Ripper-ologist (not an expert, but I know an awful lot about the Ripper case and have read many books on th subject as I find it so fascinating). This one promises to be a rip(per)-roaring read (sorry, I couldn’t resist a very poor pun there) and I’ll definitely be finished this one before Xmas as it lends itself well to short bursts of reading, which is exactly what I need in such a busy period! What did you recently finish reading? Sarah Singleton – The Poison Garden I enjoyed this one, but not as much as I thought it would. It got a little garbled in the middle with all the garden stuff, but straightened itself out again pretty quickly. Singleton has a wonderful way with words and the situations she describes almost leap off the page, so I’ll definitely be reading more of her work. What do you think you’ll read next? I know I’ll get at least one or two books for Xmas, but I also have these from the library and they have to go back by 4th January: Lauren Kate – Torment (Fallen 2) I recently read the first one in the series, so I thought I’d see how it continues as it wasn’t a bad start. Laura Powell – The Game of Triumphs I just love the cover and the blurb on the back was so cryptic I decided to take it home with me. Sarah Singleton – Heretic I recently enjoyed Century and The Poison Garden by this author and thought I’d try this one featuring a girl accused of being the daughter of a Witch. Intriguing stuff - I love historical fiction!

It's such a good film though - one of the best this year, I think. Personally, I think Andy Serkis should be given the oscar for best supporting actor as he did so much brilliant work in this film.

TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teaser:

MUSING MONDAYS What’s one book you always recommend to just about anyone? The Child Thief by Brom I often wax lyrical about this particular novel (which has exquisite line drawings by the author/artist). It’s a dark re-imagining of the Peter Pan story and is, in my opinion, far better that the original, but definitely not for children. If the cover alone isn’t enough to attract you, then the fact that it’s the book I most consistently rave about should tell you it’s something special! Bitten by Kelley Armstrong Anyone who’s into paranormal fiction but likes their heroines strong and feisty and, well, real, should read the Women of the Otherworld series, starting with this book. Elena Michaels (the world’s only female werewolf) isn’t the type to let her love life get the better of her, even if things go wrong (unlike other, more recent “heroines” of paranormal sagas). No, this is one gutsy woman who can stand on her own two feet, but knows when family are important too. Room by Emma Donoghue I received this as a Xmas gift and read it this year. I was, quite simply, blown away by it. It’s rare I come across such a wholly engrossing novel as this – I literally couldn’t put it down and read late into the night till I was so tired I was falling asleep and physically unable to continue – I still fought the exhaustion and tried to continue! It’s so beautifully written – utterly claustrophobic and poignant. Read it and weep – I know I did! ~***~ COVER CRAZY What I Love: The chimpanzee looking almost like he’s begging us not to look at him whilst holding out an apple (fobidden fruit?); the painted chimp on the wall behind him seemingly reaching to take the apple from him. This ape seems to exude very human emotions which makes my heart ache and wonder what’s bothering him so much. I alos love the abstract art behind him, which is unusual as I usually hate modern abstract works. I’ve not read this book, but I found it last week on my blog trekking and popped it into my Friday Finds. Synopsis: Bruno Littlemore; linguist, artist, philosopher. A life defined by a soaring mind, yet bound by a restrictive body. Born in down-town Chicago, Bruno’s precocity pulls him from an unremarkable childhood, and under the tuition of Lydia, his intellect dazzles a watching world. But when falls in love with his mentor, the world turns on them with outrage: Bruno is striving to be something he is not, and denying everything that he is. For despite his all too human complexities, dreams and frailties, Bruno’s hairy body, flattened nose and jutting brow are, undeniably, the features of a chimpanzee. Like its protagonist, this novel is big, abrasive, witty, perverse, earnest and accomplished. The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore goes beyond satire by showing us not what it means, but what it feels like be human – to love and lose, learn, aspire, grasp, and, in the end, to fail. ~***~ IT'S MONDAY, WHAT ARE YOU READING? I’m still reading the same two books due to not having much reading time and being caught up in all things Christmassy… Muriel Marbery – The Elegance of the Hedgehog After I mentioned it in my Friday Finds, a forum friend said he’d just finished this book and asked if I would like his copy as he was just going to donate it to a charity shop. I took him up on his very kind offer and will be reading it next… I’m enjoying it, but it’s not an easy read, so I only pick it up when I have some undisturbed reading time and I can concentrate on it. Sarah Singleton – The Poison Garden I saw this one in the young adult section of the library and fell in love with the cover – I can’t resist the combination of black, white and red with a touch of silver. I’m about half way through and it’s a great read. I just haven’t had a chance to finish it as I’ve been so busy with festive stuff!

I heard one fabulous joke today that reminded me of another... The one I heard was: Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't. It made me laugh so hard I nearly snorted coffee out my nose all over my computer! The one it reminded me of is: There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary, and those who don't. It never fails to make me giggle like an idiot when I see tha tone.

Ooooh! I have this one waiting to be read in the new year!

I signed up for a whole bunch of reading challenges today - that's about the extent of my boko activity so far - LOL!

What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS! By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions: - Hope Collier – The Willows: Haven - Jael McHenry – The Kitchen Daughter - Kate Quinn – Mistress of Rome - Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Every Other Day - Glen Duncan – The Last Werewolf - Lauren Oliver – Liesl & Po - Benjamin Hale – The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

This all bodes VERY well for me then .

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY Character or Plot? What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters? Or an amazing, page-turning plot? (Yes, I know, they are both important. But if you had to pick one as being more important than the other?) It really depends what kind of mood I’m in. If I fancy an in-depth chunker of a book where I really spend a lot of time with it, then I want characters that really come to life, where I know everything about them and really care deeply about them. These are the books that, when I’m finished, I know I’ll read them again at some point in the future, and it will feel like visiting old friends. Other times, when I don’t have much time to devote to reading, I love a plot that really zips along, grabbing me by the seat of my pants and making my heart race as I’m dragged along for the ride, screaming, “Woooohooooo!” These are the ones I’ll read again when I’m feeling down in the dumps and need an energy boost. Once in a while, I get a little of both in the same novel and it makes my heart sing!

Phew! I'm glad to hear Amazon are so helpful with the Kindles, as I know I'm getting one for Xmas and things ALWAYS die on me a few daysout of warranty!